"That mindset is very important" - Arman Tsarukyan outlines "the best thing" about Khamzat Chimaev as a fighter 

Arman Tsarukyan recently lauded Khamzat Chimaev for his mindset as a fighter and opened up about how the Chechen-born grappling savant doesn't concern himself with his opponent's game plan.

Chimaev is undoubtedly among the biggest names in the UFC today and is known for his incredible dominance in the cage. 'Borz' is coming off a middleweight title win over Dricus du Plessis at UFC 319 in August and has recorded wins over several high-profile contenders like Robert Whittaker, Kamaru Usman, and Kevin Holland. The undefeated fighter has a perfect 15-0 record as a professional.

Ahead of Tsarukyan's upcoming showdown against Dan Hooker at UFC Qatar this weekend, he heaped praise on Chimaev's mindset going into his fights. Tsarukyan had notably joined Chimaev's UFC 319 training camp under the tutelage of veteran coach Sam Calavitta at The Treining Lab in California.

In a recent interview, Tsarukyan spoke about Chimaev being focused on his own strengths and said:

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"The best thing, he doesn't think about his opponent or who he's fighting with. He doesn't think, 'Oh, he kicks like this, I gotta do this. He wrestles like this, I gotta do this.' He just thinks about what he’s gonna do. That mindset is, I think, very important. You have your game plan, but he doesn’t care what you’re gonna do."

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Khamzat Chimaev talks Arman Tsarukyan and Ilia Topuria potentially brawling backstage at UFC Qatar

Given the close relationship between Khamzat Chimaev and Arman Tsarukyan, it's no surprise that 'Borz' is set to corner the lightweight contender in his fight against Dan Hooker at UFC Qatar this weekend.

UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria will also be present in Doha to corner his brother, Aleksandre Topuria, who will be fighting Bekzat Almakhan on the prelims. There is no love lost between Topuria and Tsarukyan, with both men taking shots at each other via interviews and social media posts.

In a recent interview with Adam Zubayrev (via @RedCorner_MMA on X), Chimaev was asked whether he'd step in to stop a potential brawl between Topuria and Tsarukyan. He replied:

"If something happens, let them go one-on-one. We’ll beat all the extra people, and they’ll go one-on-one. I don’t think, I hope nothing like that will happen. But this is sport, and we need this kind of hype; we need big, loud fights. So they’re doing the right thing. Both are promoting their fight. Someday it will happen."

Edited by Nishant Zende.