Chimaev vs. Poatan: UFC legends point out the differentiating factor in favor of the Brazilian

Ales Poatan (left) was challenged by Khamzat Chimaev (right). Photo: SUPER LUTAS montage

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Khamzat Chimaev is undoubtedly an unfavorable fighting style for Alex Poatan . However, there is a factor that could be decisive in frustrating the Chechen: the size difference between the athletes. Chimaev, who has shown interest in challenging the light heavyweight champion (up to 93 kg), believes his grappling will be essential to overcome Poatan. However, according to Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen , size is on the Brazilian's side.

In an episode of 'Good Guy/Bad Guy', Chael Sonnen highlighted that Alex Poatan 's size would be the main factor in a potential fight against Khamzat Chimaev . According to the former fighter, the Brazilian represents a considerable physical challenge, since even in the event of takedowns, it would be extremely difficult to keep him on the ground for 25 consecutive minutes.

"Pereira is very big. I think size matters after a certain point. Chimaev would be a problem in some positions, but ultimately, Pereira's size, even if he were taken down once or twice, is too big a man to be dragged to the ground for 25 minutes straight. I'm not talking about weight cuts; I'm considering each person's current weight. In that case, I think Pereira would win," said Sonnen.

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Daniel Cormier , for his part, acknowledged the difficulty in predicting a winner, but reinforced the importance of the physical factor. The commentator observed that the weight difference between categories may seem small in some cases, but becomes decisive when athletes end up jumping 9 or 10 kilos between divisions.

"It's a tough fight to pick between the two, but man, size has to matter at some point, right? It might not make that much of a difference from 77 pounds to 84 pounds, but there comes a time when it does. When you start jumping 9 pounds, 10 pounds, and you're talking about an 84-pound guy who might weigh 95 pounds on fight day versus a 93-pound guy who might be 111 pounds, it has to matter somehow. Size has to matter, but I can't pick a winner," Cormier replied.

Khamzat Chimaev and Alex Poatan in the UFC

Undefeated, with 15 career wins, nine of them in the UFC, Khamzat Chimaev carries the status of 'bogeyman' in the middleweight division, since only three of his victories were by decision, six by submission and six by knockout.

Alex Poatan , on the other hand, has a career with 13 wins (10 in the UFC) and only three losses. The Brazilian's record is impressive, as 11 of his victories were by knockout, six of them in fights for the Ultimate belt.

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