Khamzat looked excellent in the Rob fight, but he didn't answer the questions about his weaknesses. If he doesn't get the finish in the 1st, can he sustain any kind of pace, or does he fall apart?
He won't need to sustain the exact same pace. If he can dominate rounds 1 and maybe 2 with grappling, it's very likely that he will get a finish or at least one 10-8. Also, it's taxing for his opponent as well. Carrying his weight, scrambling, getting taken down, ground and pound, etc.
I do concede that Dricus is more dangerous than Rob or Usman though, due to his finishing instincts. Can't ever count him out, but there's a reason he will be an underdog vs Khamzat.
I don't understand why people act like he's falling apart, just because he's competitive in the later rounds vs Burns and Usman, instead of dominating them. It's quite a tough ask.
Meanwhile we have former champ Strickland who way too often goes to a split decision, but then instead gets praised for his cardio, not criticized for his lack of domination and finishing ability.
Khamzat still hit takedowns in every round vs Usman, with control time. Increased his output in round 3 vs Burns, and won the 3rd.
Also got Burns down even after getting dropped. From what we've seen so far there's no indication that Khamzat is easy to finish or beat by decision.
Dricus is strong too, but calling Usman "not strong" is ridiculous.