Khalil Rountree Jr. has spent the past few months training alongside Khamzat Chimaev, and the experience has left him with a clear takeaway. If “Borz” ever makes the move to light heavyweight, the rest of the division could be in serious trouble.
Chimaev is currently preparing to defend his middleweight title against Sean Strickland at UFC 328, marking his first defense since capturing the belt in 2025.
But even before stepping into that fight, the unbeaten champion has openly discussed ambitions of moving up again in pursuit of a second title.
Khalil Rountree Jr. Sees Major Problems If Khamzat Chimaev Moves Up
During a recent media scrum, Khalil Rountree Jr. opened up about his time training with Khamzat Chimaev and what it revealed about a potential move to 205 pounds.
“It’s definitely exhausting,” Rountree said. “It’s exhausting, it’s difficult, it’s humbling. It’s inspiring in a way, too, because his effort and his will, his skill is unmatched. So, when you go up against that, there’s a lot of things that can be said. There’s just a lot of things that can be learned when you truly find yourself going against the best in the world.”
The former title challenger, who currently sits among the top contenders at light heavyweight, did not hold back when asked about the idea of “Borz” entering the division.
“I just told you, training with this guy, he’s the best in the world. It’s difficult. It’s difficult in all areas, in standup, in grappling. No one gets an easy round with Khamzat. It doesn’t matter what weight class, what size.
“That was my initial thought, like, ‘Damn, if he made the move up, we’re all kind of screwed.’ That’s kind of how I look at it.”