MMA Star Darren Till believes Khamzat Chimaev will leave a bigger legacy than Khabib Nurmagomedov

Khabib Nurmagomedov is widely regarded as one of the greatest fighters in UFC history, retiring undefeated at 29-0 after dominating Justin Gaethje at UFC 254. But according to former UFC star Darren Till, another fighter is poised to leave an even bigger mark on the sport—Khamzat Chimaev. Till, who previously trained with Chimaev, believes the rising star has the potential to outshine Khabib’s legacy, especially given how early ‘The Eagle’ retired. With Chimaev’s relentless grappling and continued success, Till is confident that the Chechen-born fighter will cement himself as the most dominant force in MMA.
Darren Till, a former UFC middleweight, recently shared his thoughts on Chimaev’s potential during an interview with Genting Casino. While he acknowledges Khabib’s dominance, he believes Chimaev will ultimately surpass him.
“Khabib was very dominant,” Till said. “But Khabib didn’t fight for as long as he should have, God rest his father’s soul.”
He went on to highlight Chimaev’s skill set and predicted that he could achieve more than Khabib in terms of dominant grappling.
“Yeah, Khamzat can definitely get past Khabib in terms of dominating grappling,” Till added.

Chimaev is currently on the verge of a middleweight title shot after an impressive submission win over Robert Whittaker at UFC 308. Many expect him to face reigning champion Dricus du Plessis next, and Till believes the fight will be completely one-sided in favor of Chimaev.
“I think Chimaev is gonna run over him,” Till said. “I think he’ll just completely run over. That’s what I think. I think he’ll win the title.”

Although Till gave Du Plessis credit for his previous victories, including one over himself, he described the South African’s fighting style as unorthodox yet effective.
“I just think he [DDP] does everything so bad, it’s good. I just think he’s so good at doing everything so bad. He defies physics. He needs Isaac Newton to study him because it doesn’t make sense.”
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With Khabib retired and Chimaev still in his prime, the possibility of surpassing the Dagestani legend’s legacy remains within reach. If Chimaev secures UFC gold and continues his dominance, he could very well fulfill Till’s bold prediction and establish himself as one of the greatest fighters in MMA history.