Anthony Hernandez explains not buying Khamzat Chimaev hype ahead of UFC 319: "I'm still not really sold on Khamzat"

Many fans and pundits consider Khamzat Chimaev as one of the top talents in the UFC. Undefeated across his 14 professional outings, he has overwhelmed most opposition with his high-pressure wrestling, offering them little opportunity to mount a resistance.

Anthony Hernandez, however, is not quite ready to buy into Chimaev's hype as the Chechen-born Emirati heads into a title shot at UFC 319 against Dricus du Plessis. At the time of this writing, 'Borz' is the -180 betting favorite for the matchup, with the champion as the +150 underdog.

Despite this, Hernandez believes most of the UFC 319 title challenger's wins have come against physically smaller opposition, and he would not fare well against a large middleweight like du Plessis. Speaking to MMA Junkie, 'Fluffy' said:

"I think DDP is going to shock the world again. He's a big, tough, awkward motherf**ker, and I'm still not really sold on Khamzat. I understand he's good, and he's dangerous, yada yada, but he's kind of fought all small guys who have come up. [Kamaru] Usman gave him a run for his money off the couch, so how does he do with somebody that's like a real [1]85er?"

Check out Anthony Hernandez's comments on Khamzat Chimaev below (5:32):

UFC 319 is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 16, at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Alongside the main event attraction between du Plessis and Chimaev, the event also features the debut of the highly touted Aaron Pico against the undefeated Lerone Murphy.

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Dricus du Plessis is not banking on Khamzat Chimaev's potential cardio deficiencies

Dricus du Plessis is intent on finishing Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319. During a recent interview with The New York Post Sports, the reigning middleweight champion guaranteed that he'd be hunting for a finish every chance he gets in Chicago.

This led the host to highlight 'Borz's' suspected cardio deficiencies, asking 'Stillknocks' if he'd consider dragging the fight to the later rounds to get an edge over his opponent.

The South African, however, is not ready to bank his chances on Chimaev's suspected weakness. He elaborated:

"Yeah, that's not me. That's never going to happen. You can't go and say, 'Oh, this guy always gets tired, maybe he gets tired.' And what if he doesn't?... You don't bargain on somebody else's weakness when you go and fight. You don't know what that guy's going through, how he's preparing. I prepare like I do. I put every single bit of effort. I'm going out there, when the ref says fight, I'm fighting as hard as I can, for as long as I can."