Undefeated UFC welterweight phenom Khamzat Chimaev is the talk of the 170-pound town, running through the competition over the last two years and racking up a 4-0 record with four finishes, two by knockout and two by submission.
Just don’t expect reigning welterweight champion Kamaru Usman to be looking over his shoulder just yet.
“There’s a reason there’s a structure to get here,” Usman told “The Jim Rome Show” (via MMA Junkie). “He’s done great with the opposition that he’s been presented and by the time he gets here, once he gets here, of course, we’ll have that conversation. But I am the champion. I am the pound-for-pound best in the world, I am the king of the castle.”
Despite his meteoric rise, the 27 year-old Chimaev (10-0) has yet to face (or defeat) a Top 10 welterweight. That’s not meant to diminish his accomplishments, but we don’t yet know how “Borz” would handle the striking game of someone like Stephen Thompson, or deal with the wrestling of a top contender like Colby Covington.
“Everybody wants a piece of me, so that’s good. I like that,” Usman continued. “There was a time when I was coming up and I just couldn’t get those fights. I couldn’t get the next guy to step in there with me, but now that I’m at the top, I don’t have to do that. These guys have to call me out, and these guys have to come to me. So when they make it up here, I’ll be here waiting.”
Usman, currently ranked No. 1 in the world at both welterweight and pound-for-pound, is recovering from hand surgery and is expected to face No. 3-ranked Leon Edwards later this year. As for Chimaev, he’s been linked to a potential Gilbert Burns fight in April; however, the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.