Khamzat Chimaev’s coach, Alan “Finfou” Nascimento, believes detractors will always find something to criticize no matter how good a fighter is.
Chimaev was originally scheduled to fight Paulo Costa at UFC 294 in 2023. However, an injured Costa was replaced by Kamaru Usman on nine days’ notice. While Chimaev earned a majority decision victory, Usman was arguably his toughest test to date. As Chimaev was visibly exhausted in the final round, many believe that Usman could have won if the fight had been a five-round bout. However, Nascimento explains that they had specifically prepared for a three-round fight, which is completely different than preparing for a five-rounder.