Khamzat Chimaev is preparing for his first title defence at UFC 328 next week, where he will face Sean Strickland.
Footage from his training camp has circulated widely, particularly clips of him sparring with ranked middleweight Brendan Allen. Those sessions have reinforced expectations around his physical dominance.
However, fresh insight into how Chimaev approaches preparation has surprised many fans. Arman Tsarukyan has now shed light on a key aspect that sets ‘Borz’ apart.
Arman Tsarukyan reveals Khamzat Chimaev does not study opponents before fights
Speaking on the PBD Podcast, Tsarukyan explained that his close friend Chimaev takes an unconventional approach to training. Rather than studying opponents, he focuses entirely on his own game plan.
The UFC lightweight contender said about ‘Borz’: “I mean when I watch his training, what he’s doing in sparring, I always try to take something from him, because he has good wrestling, good striking. It’s always good to have a teammate like him.”
“He has a different mindset. He never watches his opponent’s fights. He doesn’t care what they’re gonna do. For example, me, I sit and watch like, ‘Okay, Hooker, he does the kicks from the left, right. He does this, that, he’s gonna kick me this way. Okay, let’s train,’” Tsarukyan added.
“If he’s doing a lot of straight kicks, I do defense during the training. But this guy, he doesn’t know what Strickland does or his other opponents, he never watches them and he doesn’t care what they are going to do. He cares what he’s gonna do to him. So he has his own game plan, just on what he’s gonna do.”
The approach may seem unusual, but it has delivered consistent results.
Chimaev remains undefeated after 15 professional fights and appears unfazed about any opponents in the middleweight division.
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