MMA analyst and former mixed martial artist Chael Sonnen predicts that Khamzat Chimaev will likely be the next ‘champ champ’ in the UFC.
“The Bad Guy” Chael Sonnen has a long MMA history. Since his retirement from the mat, he has been a strong voice in the world of combat sports.
Sonnen offers his opinions and many predictions revolving around current MMA events. In an interview with The Schmo last month, Sonnen predicted who he thinks will be the next double champ in the UFC.
“Well, again, I’m not ready to write off Adesanya. I know that he was the closest just ’cause he got the opportunity, but I do think that Chimaev’s got some really hard work in front of him. But he is probably the guy, if you’re only giving me one option, he’s probably the guy most likely.”
That should add another boost to Chimaev’s confidence. The undefeated fighter has seen a lot of success and has a lot of hype surrounding him.
Chimaev has many targets on his radar and appears to be ready to be the next UFC double champ. He has called out Usman for a title shot and wants a piece of the Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya as well. After defeating Gilbert Burns at UFC 273, Chimaev is drawing closer and closer to the first world title shot of his young MMA career.
UFC Double Champions
Many fighters have claimed the throne of a weight class, but few have conquered in two.
Randy Couture, BJ Penn, and Georges St-Pierre have held titles in two separate weight classes. However, there are fighters who have held and defended two belts simultaneously.
Conor McGregor claimed the title of “champ-champ” when he defeated Eddie Alvarez in late 2016. It was the first time a fighter in the UFC held two belts at the same time.
One of the greatest female MMA fighters in the world, Amanda Nunes, was crowned the double-champ when she captured the featherweight title from Cris Cyborg after crushing Miesha Tate for the bantamweight belt. Although the bantamweight title was taken by Julianna Peña last December, Nunes is still the only woman in the UFC to hold two belts.
After McGregor, Daniel Cormier became the second double champ. He held the light heavyweight belt going into his match with Stipe Miocic at UFC 266. And upon defeating him, DC took the heavyweight title.
In addition, Henry Cejudo joined the ranks when he delivered a TKO to Marlon Moraes at UFC 238. The fight took place just months after Cejudo successfully defended his flyweight belt against T.J. Dillashaw.
Isreal Adesanya attempted to be next in line but came up short in his bout against Jan Blachowicz.
If Khamzat Chimaev continues on the dominant path he is currently on, then he is likely to achieve great things. Although some fighters and fans believe he is overhyped, there are many others who believe in his talents.
Do you think Khamzat Chimaev will be the UFC’s next double champ?
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