Israel Adesanya reacts to Khamzat Chimaev becoming middleweight champion

Following his win at UFC 319, Khamzat Chimaev received mixed reviews from fighters and fans. However, the one-sided display from Chimaev earned the praises of Israel Adesanya.

While everybody knew of his talent, many believed that one of the major vulnerabilities of 'Borz' was his five-round cardio. After going out and proving to the world that he doesn't have problems fighting hard for 25 minutes, he received a lot of backlash for his perceived boring approach to his first title opportunity inside the octagon.

Some of his peers were vocal in their disappointment with Khamzat Chimaev on Saturday, but UFC legend Israel Adesanya wasn't one of them.

Instead of criticizing the performance, Adesanya was in awe at the dominance Chimaev was able to showcase against a man who was yet to lose under the UFC banner in Dricus Du Plessis.

"He prepared very well. His gas tank held up," Adesanya stated on YouTube. 

"Not what I expected, but I'm glad he fixed his cardio, or improved his cardio to the point where he can to five rounds and just rag doll people."

"That's a mess. That's a mess to deal with."

Khamzat Chimaev extended his record to a perfect 15-0 with his win last weekend, making him just the second active UFC champion yet to suffer a career defeat.

While his wrestling is among the most dominant in the sport, he is not just a grappling specialist. Chimaev has power in his hands, as displayed with his 6 career knockouts.

The combination of relentless wrestling and heavy hands has been a nightmare to deal with for his opponents, and Israel Adesanya can do nothing but acknowledge Chimaev's ability.

"He didn't even slow down. He slowed down DDP. He slowed him down, which is very impressive." Adesanya said. "The division is in good hands."

Listen to Israel Adesanya shed praise on Khamzat Chimaev and more below.