Undefeated UFC welterweight contender, Khamzat Chimaev has dropped form the official top-3 stack in the division as part of the latest ranking update this week following UFC 288 – following his continued hiatus from active competition.
Chimaev, who landed at #3 in the official welterweight rankings in April of last year, did so after earning a close, unanimous decision victory over one-time title challenger, Gilbert Burns in Jacksonville, Florida.
The Chechen-born contender returned to the Octagon at UFC 279 last September in an eventual co-main event catchweight slot against rescheduled opponent, Kevin Holland, scoring a first round D’Arce choke submission win to move to 12-0 as a professional.
Linked with an Octagon return in October in the form of a middleweight fight against one-time division title chaser, Paulo Costa at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi, UAE – Khamzat Chimaev has yet to officially book his return, however.
Khamzat Chimaev voices displeasure with the UFC
Sharing his thoughts on claims from UFC leader, Dana White that “personal stuff” had ruled him from a sooner Octagon return than October, Chimaev claimed himself that he was ready to fight, complaining about a lack of opponents on show and fight offers from the organization.
And as part of the newest rankings update, the AllStars MMA staple has slipped to #4 in the rankings – just above the above-mentioned, Burns.
Over the course of the weekend, welterweight action was on show in high-profile at UFC 288 at the Prudential Center, with Belal Muhammad scooping the #3 rank in the division with a one-sided unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) triumph over Burns – earning himself a title fight against either Leon Edwards, or Colby Covington to boot.
A six-fight Octagon veteran, Khamzat Chimaev, a former Brave CF staple had landed in the Octagon back in July 2020 with back-to-back, record-setting wins over both John Philips, and Rhys McKee – before then besting Gerald Meerschaert, and Li Jingliang with first round finishes before his wins against Burns and Holland.