For Valentine’s Day, find yourself a person who loves you the way the UFC rankings panel UFC sportsbooks love Khamzat Chimaev. Despite holding ZERO wins over anyone currently ranked in the middleweight Top 15, “Borz” is still a sizable betting favorite to topple newly-crowned 185-pound champion Dricus Du Plessis.
That’s according to the number crunchers at BetOnline.ag, who also have Chimaev as the moneyline favorite to dethrone welterweight kingpin Leon Edwards. I guess the bookies were blown away by that majority decision victory over a puffed-up welterweight who came off the couch on less than two weeks’ notice.
Khamzat Chimaev: -200
Dricus du Plessis: +170
Note: Line opened at -150 and +130.
Khamzat Chimaev: -225
Leon Edwards: +190
Note: Line opened at -250 and +210.
“Belal Muhammad’s case for a title shot is ironclad but let’s not pretend Khamzat Chimaev’s case has no merit,” UFC play-by-play announcer Jon Anik wrote on Twitter. “He beat ranked welterweights Gilbert Burns and Li Jingliang, made weight for both. And three times he was booked against Leon Edwards! I just thought he had left the division.”
“I share the sentiment of most of you that it would be a great travesty if Belal Muhammad was passed over for the next welterweight title shot,” Anik continued. “But if any other fighter has any kind of case, I would submit to you that it is the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev. Just my take.”
The 29 year-old Chimaev (13-0) insists he won’t be fighting at the UFC 300 pay-per-view (PPV) event on April 13 in Las Vegas because of Ramadan. That said, the promotion is running out of options for the five-round headliner, so the right amount of cash could be used to convince him otherwise.
For the current UFC 300 fight card and PPV lineup click here.