Daniel Cormier refutes Henry Cejudo’s claim that Khamzat Chimaev would easily defeat Israel Adesanya: “He’s gonna get himself into trouble”

By Harry Kettle - February 17, 2022

Daniel Cormier has hit back at Henry Cejudo’s suggestion that Khamzat Chimaev could easily defeat Israel Adesanya.

Khamzat Chimaev, Li Jingliang, UFC 267

Following his win over Robert Whittaker at UFC 271, many fans have been wondering whether or not anyone in the middleweight division is capable of beating Israel Adesanya. Henry Cejudo, a former two-weight UFC champion himself, recently offered up Chimaev as a suggestion.

“From what I’ve heard from a lot of people is that this dude literally trains like nobody has ever seen before.” Cejudo said. “When you’re a wrestler and your like that and he’s driven. Man, I could see him easily beating Israel Adesanya.”

After hearing about this, it’s safe to say Cormier didn’t exactly back up the enthusiasm of “Triple C”.

“My problem with Chimaev is that Chimaev is gonna rush. Because he’ll rush to try and get Izzy out of there, he’s gonna get himself in trouble. I don’t know if Chimaev is the guy because he’s obviously smaller, but his style won’t allow for him to sit back with Adesanya.”

Another issue with Chimaev trying to take the belt is the simple factor of time. His priority right now appears to be chasing UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, which is going to be no small feat in its own right. By the time he gets back up to 185 pounds, there’s every chance Adesanya has already decided to make a permanent shift up to light heavyweight.

Whatever the case may be, the idea of “Borz” vs “The Last Stylebender” is certainly something MMA fans across the globe would want to see.

Who would you consider to be the favourite if a fight between Israel Adesanya and Khamzat Chimaev was booked? Do you think it’ll happen by the end of 2023? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments, BJPENN Nation!

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Topics:

Daniel Cormier Henry Cejudo Israel Adesanya Khamzat Chimaev UFC