How Khamzat Chimaev became the ultimate UFC predator ahead of his first title defense

Ikram Aliskerov, UFC middleweight

Aliskerov entered the fight fully aware of Chimaev's wrestling credentials. Chimaev was a multi-time Swedish national wrestling champion before ever entering a cage. What Aliskerov hadn't factored for was a soul-snatching right uppercut.

"I was ready for the wrestling," Aliskerov said. "But I didn't expect him to counter that way."

That unpredictability remains the biggest problem Chimaev presents. Fighters prepare obsessively for wrestling pressure, only to get caught by a looping punch or instantly locked into a devastating choke.

Robert Whittaker prepared for Chimaev as thoroughly as anyone could. Their originally booked fight at UFC 304 was expected to be razor close. Chimaev had never been such a narrow betting favorite. However, Chimaev made Whittaker look like anything but a deeply respected tactician. Chimaev quickly submitted the former champion, crushing his teeth in the process.

"You can prepare for and expect things as much as you want," Whittaker told CBS Sports. "He was better than our preparation. His ability to stick to you, control the position and adjust movements once he got his hands on you was next level.

"We prepped as well as anyone else could. I'm sure Dricus [du Plessis] did too. His level is to be respected."

[WATCH: Khamzat Chimaev kicks Sean Strickland during chaotic face off at UFC 328 press conference

Shakiel Mahjouri

Whittaker believes people misunderstand Chimaev's physical strength because it doesn't always present itself in explosive ways. He's not launching people through the air. The problem is what happens once he attaches to you. Every exchange is exhausting, and every escape attempt is draining.

"He's strong," Whittaker said. "He's not 'Pick you up and throw you' strong. But he'll grab you, and you're not going anywhere until he wants to let you go. You have to fight it constantly. It's really draining to fight that endurance style. He's much more accustomed to that sort of endurance and muscle endurance than you are. It's a really taxing game."

Only two fighters have managed to really test Chimaev inside the Octagon: Gilbert Burns and Kamaru Usman. Burns, specifically, forced Chimaev into an atypically chaotic fight. Before UFC 273 in 2022, Chimaev had absorbed just one significant strike in his first four UFC fights. Burns landed 119 in a wild three-round brawl that ended in a split decision.

Burns understood early that a normal training camp wouldn't cut it. There was significant tension between Florida gyms American Top Team and Kill Cliff FC at the time. Burns quietly recruited a fighter from rival gym ATT to help him prepare for Chimaev's wrestling. Even now, Burns refuses to say who it was.

Burns was well prepared for Chimaev's physical pressure. What surprised him was the psychological pressure preceding their battle. During fight week, Chimaev cornered Burns in an elevator and started probing him.

"He said, 'Oh brother, you're too small. You need to eat more.' Then he said, 'Show me power,'" Burns told CBS Sports. "That was the first thing that flipped a switch. I thought, 'This guy thinks it's going to be easy.'"

The exchange lit a fire under Burns, one of MMA's friendliest and universally liked veterans.

"We shook hands, and he said, 'Squeeze. I want to feel your power,'" Burns said. "I said, 'No. Don't worry, I'll show you on Saturday.' The little teasing started getting into my head."

The tension peaked during Burns' walk to the Octagon, which he admits is always nerve-wracking.

Then, Burns glanced up and saw something that broke his nervous rhythm. Even beyond earshot, Chimaev reignited his opponent's competitive drive.

"I looked up and saw him sitting on top of the cage," Burns said. "I thought, 'There's no way I'm losing to this guy.' He switched something in me that made me want to give everything in there. I didn't care what happened. 'There's no way this guy is beating me.'"

Burns' world-class submission game and newfound wrestling prevented Chimaev from imposing his suffocating style. What emerged was arguably more frightening than his usual dominance. Chimaev relished in adversity and fighting through exhaustion. He had a thirst for it.

Strickland inherits the same puzzle at UFC 328 as he and Chimaev has thrown nonstop verbal jabs at each other all week.

"I don't think the game has worked out the puzzle that is Khamzat," Whittaker said. "We're waiting for the shoe to fall. We're waiting to see if Strickland has what it takes.

"Having been in there with Chimaev, having seen what he can do once he gets his hands on you -- and he will because he shoots from far away. He commits wholeheartedly. He will get you to the mat. It's what happens after."

Whittaker has experienced firsthand what happens once Chimaev gets rolling. He has a hard time believing Strickland, or anyone for that matter, has the answers.

"Seeing that he has the cardio to do that for five rounds as well," Whittaker said. "Mate, gun to my head, Chimaev will run him over."