“Borz” will reportedly stay at 170 pounds for his 2021 return.
I’ve got bad news for all three of the Luke Rockhold fans out there: The Vengeance Express won’t be stopping at the 185-pound station.
That’s according to Ariel Helwani, who told his Twitter followers that Khamzat Chimaev turned down not one, but two opportunities to fight former middleweight champion Luke Rockhold, including a five-round main event in August.
“All respect but I thought he would fight anyone,” Rockhold told Helwani.
That comes as a bit of a surprise when you consider how much crap Chimaev was talking over the last few weeks. Not only did “Borz” insist he was ready to “smesh” middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, he also claimed to be chasing after Jan Blachowicz at 205 pounds.
I guess Chimaev needs more prep time with the Sunday comics.
Despite his red-hot start to UFC, which resulted in three straight wins (and three consecutive finishes), the 8-0 Chimaev was felled by a nasty case of coronavirus. Not only did the illness put a halt to his combat sports career, it nearly forced “Borz” to retire.
Fortunately, that gay-hating nut job in Chechen was able to rehabilitate him, though a date for Chimaev’s Octagon return has yet to be determined.