Khamzat Chimaev is a boring athlete, in accordance with a prime UFC middleweight contender. UFC middleweight athlete “Fluffy” Anthony Hernandez has revealed his desire for potential title combat opponents, stating {that a} potential matchup with present champion Khamzat Chimaev is boring and expressing enthusiasm for a matchup with former champion Drikas du Plessis.
UFC fighter ‘Fluffy’ Anthony Hernandez criticizes Khamzat Chimaev’s fashion
Hernandez, who’s ranked 4th within the UFC middleweight rankings as of October 2025, expressed his opinion on the contrasting combating types of the 2 elite middleweights. The California native is at the moment on an eight-fight successful streak, along with his most up-to-date win coming in August 2025 at UFC Vegas 109, through fourth-round submission over Roman Dolisez. His spectacular outcomes embody bonus finishes over Roman Kopylov, Michel Pereira and Dolidze, in addition to a call victory over Brendan Allen.
Hernandez gave a candid evaluation of his future opponents and what followers need from competitors on the highest stage. In an interview with MMA Junkie he mentioned:
“I do not actually care who I combat. I do know they create a method and make it thrilling, however I actually do not care who I combat. I feel combating Chimaev could be extra like a wrestling protection and boring. , he is a striker, so it should be a enjoyable match. He comes and he hits onerous. That is what individuals need to see, you recognize what I imply? And I really feel like once I’m combating. For the title, and when you get there, you need to do one thing legendary, proper? I imply, I desire a banger. You do not need to play boring video games. ”
The feedback had been made after Chimaev defeated Du Plessis by unanimous determination to win the UFC middleweight title at UFC 319 in Chicago on August 16, 2025. The Chechen-Swedish wrestler utterly dominated the previous champion with overwhelming grappling stress, securing 12 takedowns out of 17 makes an attempt and sustaining management for almost 22 minutes via 5 rounds. All three judges scored the bout 50-44 in Chimaev’s favor, however the efficiency prompted combined reactions from followers and fighters alike.
His desire for taking part in in opposition to du Plessis stems from the South African’s unconventional striking-based method. Du Plessis constructed his championship reign on ahead stress and high-volume putting. Former opponents Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya have each described du Plessis’ fashion as awkward and unpredictable, with Adesanya calling him “one of the best fucking fighter on the planet” for his skill to disrupt an opponent’s momentum regardless of missing textbook approach.
Chimaev’s wrestling-centered method is in sharp distinction to du Plessis’ putting preferences. The champion makes use of his background in freestyle wrestling to carry opponents to the bottom utilizing methods just like these of Khabib Nurmagomedov. His grappling superiority was on full show in opposition to du Plessis, who struggled with explosive actions that proved ineffective in opposition to elite-level wrestling opponents.
Hernandez’s highway to a title shot suffered a big setback in September 2025. He withdrew from the principle occasion scheduled for October 18th at UFC Vancouver in opposition to Reinier de Ridder on account of an undisclosed damage. The matchup was thought of a possible loss for the title, with the winner standing to problem Chimaev. When the Dutchman was unable to proceed within the fourth spherical, Hernandez was changed by Brendan Allen, who defeated De Ridder.
The middleweight title race stays crowded heading into the tip of 2025. Nasudin Imavov claimed a unanimous determination victory over Caio Boralho at UFC Paris in September and declared it his flip to win the title. In the meantime, Chimaev expressed curiosity in defending his title at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi on October 25, 2025, an occasion that in the end featured Tom Aspinall vs. Cyril Gane in the principle occasion.
The candidate emphasised that his need to combat anybody within the division stays the identical, whatever the fashion matchup. As he recovers from his damage and is on an eight-fight successful streak, “Fluffy” Hernandez continues to place himself for an eventual championship alternative, making it clear that he prefers thrilling fights to intense wrestling matches.
