Kamaru Usman believes it is high time Khamzat Chimaev hires a head coach who is present octagonside whenever he fights, as having other stars and contenders in his corner is clearly not enough.

Before UFC 328, Chimaev was seen preparing alongside Luke Rockhold, Khalil Rountree Jr., and Arman Tsarukyan, among others. He also had his longtime coach, Alan “Finfou” Nascimento, in his corner.

However, Usman believes Chimaev’s training with other fighters and without a head coach is a real issue that could have contributed to his UFC 328 title loss.

Image: @UFCEurope/Instagram

This past weekend, the Chechen-born Emirati lost his title to Sean Strickland via split decision. While many in the MMA community pointed to Chimaev’s brutal weight cut as the main reason he looked far from his usual self against Strickland, “The Nigerian Nightmare” believes “Borz” in the long run needs a head coach who will help him become more disciplined, calculated, and professional. On Pound 4 Pound, Usman said:

“In there between rounds, who’s his coach? Who’s giving him sound instructions? Arman Tsarukyan, a fighter still trying to make his way to the title, was your head coach? Who’s your MMA coach? Khamzat Chimaev has all that athletic ability. What’s missing is the head coach. A bond between Khamzat and finding a coach that can put that together could take Khamzat to the next level.”

Check out Kamaru Usman’s comments about Khamzat Chimaev below:

Kamaru Usman is confused about how Sean Strickland beat Khamzat Chimaev

During the same show, Kamaru Usman also discussed how the UFC 328 main event played out. Usman belives Chimaev should have gotten his hand raised this past weekend against Strickland, as it was “Borz” who was controlling the pace, had more output in the striking and wrestling departments for the majority of the minutes, and “Tarzan” mostly remained on the back foot. He said:

“When one guy is constantly marching forward, throwing jabs, mixing in overhands, getting takedowns, and doing that for almost five rounds, I don’t see how he loses the fight. The other guy was backing up and jabbing the whole time.”

Check out Kamaru Usman’s comments below:

Subham

Subham is a writer and editor with experience spanning MMA, Health & Fitness, true crime, and pop culture. He has previously worked with Sportskeeda MMA, SK True Crime, and SK Pop, Movies, and Shows.
He currently covers the UFC for LowKickMMA and MMA Pros Picks.