Sidelined since September of last year, undefeated welterweight contender, Khamzat Chimaev has called for a return to the Octagon as part of a scheduled UFC Fight NIght Paris card in the promotion’s return to France at the beginning of the month.
Chimaev, the current #4 ranked welterweight contender, has been sidelined since co-headlining UFC 279 back in September of last year, successfully improving to 12-0 as a professional, submitting Kevin Holland with a first round D’Arce choke.
The victory followed a prior win over one-time welterweight title challenger, Gilbert Burns in April of last year in a close, unanimous decision triumph.
Linked with a middleweight division return off the back of a seven-and-a-half pound weight miss against Holland last September, Khamzat Chimaev has yet to be booked for an outing, despite multiple rumors tying him to a comeback fight at UFC 294 in October in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Khamzat Chimaev calls for September UFC return in Paris
With the Octagon set for its sophomore landing in Paris, France in September, AllStars MMA staple, Chimaev has called for the UFC to book him on the Parisian card, before then returning the following month in the Middle East on ‘Fight Island’.
“I am ready to fight in Paris ready to fight after in Abu Dhabi,” Khamzat Chimaev tweeted. “Let me smash somebody @ufc.”
In the midst of a six-fight winning run since making his Octagon debut back in the summer of 2020, Chimaev, 29, most recently featured in the Middle East back in October 2021, landing a hugely dominant win over Li Jingliang, finishing the Chinese welterweight contender with a first round rear-naked choke submission win.
Over the course of his Octagon tenure, Chimaev has landed five post-fight bonuses from six total bouts – with his September weight miss against Holland leaving him ineligible to win a post-fight bonus.