Anthony Smith recalls hearing stories about Khamzat Chimaev long before his UFC debut

Anthony Smith claims he heard the name Khamzat Chimaev long before ‘Borz’ ever made his debut in the UFC.

The former UFC light heavyweight title challenger, Smith (36-16 MMA), made an appearance on Michael Bisping’s ‘Believe You Me’ podcast where he recalled being told stories about Chimaev:

“Other people said it first, so now I can say it out loud. I’ve heard the stories of Chimaev for years, like a couple years before he was even in the UFC. I remember hearing his name, some young kid that’s ragdolling Ilir Latifi and Gustafsson down in Sweden.” Smith said (h/t Sportskeeda). “Even when he finally made it to the UFC, beat a couple of guys and looked really good, I kept that to myself until other people had told the story like, ‘Hey man, I’ve been hearing the stories about this kid beating the sh*t out of those guys for a long time.”

Chimaev (10-0 MMA) last competed at October’s UFC 267 event, where he needed less than a round to dispose of ranked welterweight Li Jingliang. That contest was Khamzat’s first since September of 2020, where he had scored a sensational 18-second knockout win over Gerald Meerschaert.

Khamzat Chimaev has agreed to fight former UFC welterweight title challenger Gilbert Burns on April 9 at UFC 273.

Gilbert Burns (20-4 MMA), the former UFC welterweight title challenger most recently competed at July’s UFC 264 event where he earned a unanimous decision victory over Stephen Thompson.

The UFC has yet to make the bout official, but both fighters have weighed in:

“April 9?” – Burns questioned Chimaev in his DM’s.

“Yes let’s go brother   “ – Khamzat Chimaev replied.

Would you like to see the UFC make it official – a fight between Khamzat Chimaev and Gilbert Burns now that both men have agreed to a bout on April 9? Share your thoughts in the comment section PENN Nation!