During a recent episode of the Pound 4 Pound podcast, former UFC welterweight champion and one of Chimaev's former opponents, Kamaru Usman, named one middleweight contender who is fresh off a victory as the man to potentially push 'Borz' to the limit and be the biggest threat to his UFC middleweight title.

So, with five championship rounds on deck against Dricus du Plessis, fans and analysts alike wondered if he could keep the pace. By the time the final bell rang in Chicago, though, Chimaev had delivered the kind of performance that silenced every critic of his cardio in one go.