Darren Till On Khamzat Chimaev Vs. Colby Covington: 'I've Changed My Opinion A Bit'

Darren Till wants to see Khamzat Chimaev take on Colby Covington next.

Prior to facing Gilbert Burns at UFC 273, UFC president Dana White already said that Covington will be next for Chimaev.

After the Swede beat Burns, he broke into the welterweight division’s Top 5 and only Covington and Leon Edwards are on top of him in the rankings.

Like White, Chimaev’s best pal in the UFC, Till is also rooting for “Chaos” to be his next opponent.

As expected, “The Gorilla” is confident that “Borz” can beat the living daylights out of the 170-pound division’s No. 1 contender, specifically via a knockout.

According to Till, as much as he acknowledges Covington’s proven arsenal, he admitted that he now doubts “Chaos” could stand a chance against a fighter like Chimaev.

“I would like to see him fight Colby [Covington] in a five-round main event, and I think that’s the best thing for both guys,” Till told Submission Radio. “I think Khamzat can knock him out. I don’t think Colby’s felt power like Khamzat.”

“Like, I’ve changed my opinion a bit because Colby’s a good fighter, but I just don’t see who he’s fighting who’s at the top of the top of the level right now,” he continued. “Obviously [Kamaru] Usman, but like, there’s no one [else]. Khamzat’s obviously come up real quick.”

“I just think Khamzat’s got so much power and edge over him. Listen, Colby’s a terrific fighter, he’s phenomenal, but I see the win there with Khamzat, and I’d love to see that to get him ready for the title for Usman.”

Heading into UFC 273, Chimaev has not reached Round 2 as he has finished all his last three opponents in the opening round.

With Burns being able to go the distance with “Borz,” many believe that the Chimaev’s hype train has been derailed.

Moreover, some even reckon that the 27-year-old rising UFC star was humbled by the Brazilian.

On the flipside, Till is certain that how the Burns fight went down was just perfect for his friend’s progress as a fighter.

“I said to him [Chimaev] backstage, I said to him, that’s what you needed,” the middleweight contender assessed. “Like, this is probably the best outcome you could have had, cause now you’re going to train even harder and you’re gonna listen to your coaches strategy more.”

“It’s not about just going out there and knocking guys out and toughing guys out, 'cause you’re gonna go up against an unmovable force one day, which we came up against, like Gilbert on the night, he was strong and durable and stuff like that, so it was probably the best outcome, in my opinion.”