Chimaev was happy with his win over Burns, but unhappy with his overall performance.
Khamzat Chimaev and Gilbert Burns were involved in a ‘Fight of the Year’ candidate at UFC 273, but ‘Borz’ was a bit disappointed with his performance.
Chimaev shared a nearly one-hour behind-the-scenes video of his experience before, during and after the pay-per-view event. The undefeated welterweight also showed us his immediate reaction to his unanimous decision over Burns, who gave him the toughest test of his professional career thus far. Prior to his slugfest with ‘Durinho’, Chimaev had only absorbed one significant strike in his first four UFC fights. That number changed to 120 following three rounds with the one-time title challenger.
Now sporting a cut under his left eye, Chimaev expressed some post-fight thoughts alongside his coaches. The Allstars Training Center product vowed to watch the fight again and correct his errors before his next outing.
“I feel sorry for my coaches,” said Chimaev. “They work hard with me. I made many mistakes. Go back and watch my fight. Like I always do. I will work hard, more energy. I need to be, everywhere, black belt — striking, ground-and-pound, wrestling, grappling, whatever, everything. I will fix everything now.
“One way I’m happy and one way I’m mad,” continued Chimaev. “I’m mad because I couldn’t finish the guy.”
Chimaev also had a brief moment with Burns and Sanford MMA head coach Henri Hooft backstage. The 27-year-old found his opponent getting stitched up and thanked him for the fight.
“Thank you for everything, brother. We do this for our families,” said Chimaev. “And don’t think I don’t like you, we just do our work. I love you guys. I saw your family, I seen your kids before, it was hard to fight with you after that. I love you, brother. Thank you. Thanks for everything. Good fight.”
Though Chimaev and Burns have hinted at a potential rematch in the near future, the promotion already has another option for the new No. 3 ranked contender. UFC president Dana White previously stated that with a win over Burns, he would book Chimaev against Colby Covington in an upcoming headliner on ABC.