Khamzat Chimaev burst onto the UFC scene in the summer of 2020, finishing his first three opponents in barely two months with thrashing performances. He continued to pile up gaudy numbers, and even after injuries, illnesses and other factors slowed his roll, he remained undefeated and eventually made it to a title fight at last Saturday's UFC 319.

Khamzat Chimaev Sends Strong Message to Doubters After Dominant UFC 319 Display originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

With fans and pundits expecting a period of dominance from the new middleweight champion, who – if anyone – can stop the Chimaev? And why might it be important that someone does?

Paulo Costa ripped Khamzat Chimaev's title-winning performance at UFC 319.

MMA Pros Make the Same Khamzat Chimaev Prediction for UFC 319 originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

The main event of UFC Vancouver in October will pit Reinier de Ridder against Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez, potentially offering a clue to Khamzat Chimaev ’s first challenger for the middleweight title.

Chimaev’s strategy against Du Plessis has been criticized by some, but not many have gone as far the champ’s longtime enemy, Paulo Costa, with their reactions. During an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, the Brazilian boldly claimed that Chimaev could “kill” MMA if he repeats the manner in which he won on August 16.

Chimaev (15-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) dominated Dricus Du Plessis (23-3 MMA, 9-1 UFC) on the ground en route to a unanimous decision win in Saturday's main event at United Center in Chicago. Chimaev had over 21 minutes of control time on Du Plessis, and was showered with boos from the fans several times throughout the fight.