The narrative ahead of his Middleweight title fight versus Dricus Du Plessis is clear, and every analyst and UFC fighter polled has roughly the same opinion: Khamzat has to win this fight quickly. The Chechen standout is a sprinter, a man possessed to tackle his opponent immediately and secure the early stoppage. In the two occasions we\u2019ve seen Chimaev forced to fight hard for more than a round against Gilbert Burns and Kamaru Usman, his activity and general danger level has clearly dropped off. Du Plessis, conversely, has scored multiple late finishes and remains dangerous regardless of fatigue, so there\u2019s a clear avenue to victory if the South African champion can weather the storm.<\/p>\n
Chimaev has heard that analysis and critique, and he\u2019s made adjustments. As part of his UFC 319 training camp, he\u2019s teamed up with Sam Calavitta, a famed strength and conditioning coach known for his brutal garage workouts that helped TJ Dillashaw become a champion. Alongside fellow UFC 319 combatant Aaron Pico, Chimaev has been grinding away to shore up his cardio.<\/p>\n
Check out a sample of their grueling workouts below:<\/p>\n
Chimaev\u2019s head coach, Joakim Karlsson, promises serious improvements from his athlete after these workouts and all the other training Khamzat has done to prepare for his first title fight.<\/p>\n