{"id":829403,"date":"2026-07-28T16:27:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-28T16:27:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/829403\/"},"modified":"2026-07-28T16:27:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T16:27:09","slug":"khamzat-is-a-problem-jon-jones-makes-a-major-khamzat-chimaev-statement-after-title-loss-and-opens-up-about-himself-mma-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/829403\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cKhamzat is a problem\u201d: Jon Jones makes a major Khamzat Chimaev statement after title loss and opens up about himself | MMA News"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\u201cKhamzatJon Jones and Khamzat Chimaev (Image Via Getty) Jon Jones believes one loss does not change how dangerous Khamzat Chimaev is inside the Octagon. Speaking in a recent interview, the former UFC champion backed Chimaev despite his defeat to Sean Strickland earlier this year. Jones said Chimaev has the ability to beat any fighter if he enters the cage with the right mindset. He also took a rare look at his own career, admitting he is no longer in his prime while saying he was \u201cthe absolute best\u201d during his peak years.<\/p>\n

Jon Jones says Khamzat Chimaev is still a fighter who can beat anyone<\/p>\n

Jon Jones had nothing but praise for Khamzat Chimaev when asked about the middleweight star. Even though Chimaev recently suffered the first loss of his professional career, Jones made it clear that his opinion has not changed.During the interview, Jones said, \u201cI\u2019m not in my prime anymore. I\u2019m comfortable saying that Khamzat is a problem for anybody.\u201dHe then explained why he still believes Chimaev is one of the toughest fighters in the sport.\u201cIf Khamzat walks in there with the right mindset, I think he can beat anybody,\u201d Jones said.Those comments came just weeks after Chimaev lost a split decision to Sean Strickland in May 2026, a result that cost him the UFC middleweight title. It was the first defeat of Chimaev\u2019s MMA career and naturally raised questions about what comes next for him.Jones, however, does not think one close fight should define Chimaev\u2019s future. Instead, he believes the fighter still has the talent, wrestling, pressure and confidence needed to compete with the very best in the UFC.Coming from someone who has spent years at the top of the sport, the comments carried extra weight. Jones has faced some of the biggest names in MMA, making his opinion one that many fans and fighters pay attention to.<\/p>\n

Jon Jones reflects on his own career while praising Khamzat Chimaev<\/p>\n

While discussing Chimaev, Jones also spoke honestly about where he sees himself today. The former light heavyweight and heavyweight champion admitted he is no longer the fighter he once was.\u201cI was the absolute best in my prime,\u201d Jones said, before adding that he no longer believes he is competing at that same level.It was a rare moment of self-reflection from one of the most successful champions in UFC history. Rather than comparing himself with today\u2019s fighters, Jones accepted that every athlete reaches a stage when their prime years are behind them.That honesty also made his praise for Chimaev stand out even more. Jones was not making the conversation about himself. Instead, he used his own experience to explain why he still believes Chimaev can return stronger after a difficult setback.For Jones, talent alone is not enough at the highest level. He believes a fighter\u2019s mindset can make the biggest difference on fight night. That is why he remains confident that Chimaev can still challenge anyone in the division if he enters the cage mentally ready and fully focused.According to Jones, one defeat should not erase everything Chimaev has already achieved. In his view, the middleweight contender still has the ability to compete with the best and remind everyone why he has been considered one of the most dangerous fighters in the UFC.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Jon Jones and Khamzat Chimaev (Image Via Getty) Jon Jones believes one loss does not change how dangerous…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":829404,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[570],"tags":[64,63,402792,786,11877,4120,402794,402793,785,5772,85,402791,1396],"class_list":["post-829403","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mma","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-chimaev-vs-strickland","tag-fighting","tag-jon-jones","tag-khamzat-chimaev","tag-khamzat-chimaev-loss","tag-khamzat-chimaev-potential","tag-mma","tag-mma-fighting","tag-sports","tag-ufc-middleweight-title","tag-ufc-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/829403","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=829403"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/829403\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/829404"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=829403"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=829403"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=829403"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}