Khamzat Chimaev

picks Chimaev despite rooting for Strickland personally, reasoning he can't match the grappling

A solid, heavy-handed striker (nasty jab, good body kick, good movement, either stance) who nonetheless clearly prefers to grapple. His wrestling is described in superlative terms - elite-level takedown defense, excellent and well-timed takedowns from distance, and a strong chain-takedown/neck-protection game - landing him in side control often, where his top pressure and ground-and-pound are considered dangerous. His own acknowledged limit is that he can't out-scramble Strickland over a long fight.

says he's 'gone back and forth' repeatedly and admits he 'doesn't really know' right before naming the champion

Praised as a very strong striker -- nasty jab, real power, a good body kick, comfortable in either stance -- but the analyst's emphasis is his grappling, called possibly the best in the UFC: overwhelming takedown defense, excellent chain-wrestling takedowns with good timing, a tendency to protect his neck on entries, strong top control including leg control, heavy ground and pound, dangerous front chokes and very good scrambles.

Says there is "no chance" for Diaz "short of a miracle"; jokes Chimaev could break his own leg mid-kick and still win; calls the pick easy and expects a first-round finish.

Chimaev is called stronger, faster and more powerful with stellar wrestling, backed by UFC rate stats the analyst calls almost unheard of in combination (high significant-strike volume and a very high takedown rate per 15 minutes). He has one-shot knockout power, shown finishing a named opponent, and went the distance competitively with Gilbert Burns, arguably winning that fight. The analyst compares his dominance to the same card's Li Jingliang finish and treats him as an overwhelming favorite with essentially no stated weakness.