Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson predicts a winner in a potential Sean Strickland vs. Khamzat Chimaev rematch
UFC welterweight mainstay Stephen Thompson recently offered his thoughts on how a rematch between Sean Strickland and Khamzat Chimaev would go, and his prediction is nothing if not bold.
Stephen Thompson, better known by his in-cage nickname, 'Wonderboy,' was recently interviewed by Full Mount Media. When asked about the matchup between Sean Strickland and Khamzat Chimaev, which took place at UFC 328, and who he thinks would emerge victorious in a rematch, 'Wonderboy' showed no hesitation with his pick, before making a curious observation about 'Borz.'
Stephen Thompson believes a rematch would be different
Sean Strickland stunned the MMA world at UFC 328 when he dethroned Khamzat Chimaev as UFC middleweight champion via split-decision. Ahead of the fight, Strickland was a massive underdog, and hardly anyone expected Chimaev, who was undefeated, to lose. Yet, 'Borz' not only lost the fight, but looked the worst he's ever looked, yielding dominant positions in a listless manner by round two, where Strickland bludgeoned him with ground-and-pound while Chimaev was on his back.
Stephen Thompson, however, believes that Chimaev is still more likely to win the rematch than Strickland, saying the following (4:46):
"Oh, man. I think Chimaev, for sure. I think Chimaev, and I think he's gonna take, you know, not saying he didn't take the last one seriously, but it just... it's like a swing or miss sometimes when you watch Chimaev fight. It's like he goes through a... he looks immortal a lot when he faces off against some guys, but then there's that one guy that makes him look mortal. You know, he was defeating everybody in the welterweight division, and then, of course, he beat Burns, but Burns just made him look mortal. He was taking shots, he got fatigued, he got tired. Same thing against, you know, Kamaru Usman. You know, Kamaru Usman went the distance with him as well, after just watching Chimaev crush a slew of guys. And you kind of see that."
'Wonderboy' believes that there's an element of inconsistency when it comes to Chimaev, highlighting the difference between his dominant wins over the likes of Robert Whittaker and Dricus du Plessis, and his more difficult fights against Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns.
"He beats a bunch of guys, and then there's that one guy that just makes him look mortal, and then he goes through another guy where he just defeats them, just hands down demolishes them, and then you go against a guy like Usman, who makes him look mortal again. So, it's almost like a swing or a miss. Do I think that was the best Chimaev we've seen? No, I don't think so, and I think it showed. I mean, he just looked a little fatigued, he looked tired. He wasn't as aggressive as you normally see him. I don't know if he was just trying to hold out because he knew the fight was a five-rounder and he usually finishes guys early, so I don't know."
While initial reports, including claims made by Dana White himself, pointed to Chimaev moving up a division to try his luck at light heavyweight, Chimaev himself has since embarked on a campaign to face Strickland in a rematch.
