Khamzat Chimaev appears to be training with Darren Till’s upcoming opponent.
Khamzat Chimaev appears to be training with Darren Till’s opponent Jack Hermansson ahead of their upcoming middleweight bout at UFC Fight Night 208.
Hermansson, who lost a grappling match to Chimaev earlier this year, posted a photo of himself alongside ‘Borz’ at Frontline Academy Hasle in Oslo as the Swedish-born Norwegian prepares to take on ‘The Gorilla’ at UFC London next month.
The photo raises a couple of questions (and perhaps a couple of eyebrows): Will Khamzat be sharing tips with Hermansson on how to beat Till, and is Till okay with Khamzat training with his opponent? There’s also the possibility that Khamzat is training with Hermansson to gain insider knowledge for Till, although that scenario seems quite far-fetched.
Till and Khamzat have trained together extensively in Sweden and the United States, with the two forming an unlikely bond in the wake of Till’s submission loss to Derek Brunson in 2021. Till helped corner Khamzat to victory in his Fight of the Night epic with Gilbert Burns at UFC 273, and the duo are now known online as The Smesh Bros.
UFC Fight Night 208, which features Hermansson vs. Till as the co-main event, takes place July 2 at The O2 Arena in London, England.