Khamzat Chimaev says Gilbert Burns shouldn’t be happy about the fact that he lost.
UFC welterweight Khamzat Chimaev (11-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) is more disappointed about going to a decision with Gilbert Burns (20-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) than Burns is about losing the fight.
Khamzat said the fact Burns is “happy” that he lost proves that “Durinho” will never win a UFC title because he doesn’t possess the mindset of a champion.
Chimaev fought Burns in a wildly competitive fight at UFC 273 that saw Khamzat take home a decision for the first time in his professional career. “Borz” claims the fight made Burns “famous”, which is why the Brazilian isn’t too bothered about losing.
“When I win my fight, that last fight, it was a tough fight for me,” Chimaev told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour (h/t MMA Fighting). “Everyone was happy talking about, ‘He didn’t finish that guy.’ The guy was No. 2, one of the toughest guys. He almost won against [UFC welterweight champion Kamaru] Usman as well. Knocked him down, almost. I didn’t do my job, like how to do it, I didn’t listen to my coach.”
“I made him famous. The guy was nothing before me,” Khamzat continued. “I made him famous, and he lost the fight, he was more happy. I was angry after that fight — I won the fight. I was angry because I didn’t finish that guy. I don’t understand some guys become happy when they lost the fight. He’s going everywhere doing interviews, [saying ‘I’m] going to fight with him again.’ Yeah, we’re going to fight, whenever he wants. But he will never be champ, because if you’re happy when you lost a fight, you’re never going to be champ. … He said, ‘Five rounds, I can win that fight.’ If you look at him the last seconds of the fight, if he can fight five rounds, why did he look at the time, running from me? I was running after him the last two minutes, I was tired. If it was two more rounds, I would finish him.”
Khamzat, who won all his previous fights via stoppage, will return to the Octagon to take on Nate Diaz at UFC 279. The PPV, which features Chimaev vs. Diaz as the main event, takes place on Sept. 10 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.