Joe Rogan thinks Khamzat Chimaev should get the next shot at middleweight champ Dricus Du Plessis.
After a year-long layoff due to illness, travel restrictions, and whatever else is going on behind the scenes, ‘Borz’ returned to the Octagon at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi for a high-stakes co-main event clash with former 185-pound titleholder Robert Whittaker. And while Chimaev was listed as a favorite to come out on top, what happened was something nobody expected to see.
Chimaev shot in for a takedown within sends, putting Whittaker on the mat and eventually making ‘The Reaper’ tap out via a vicious neck crank in the opening round. Initially, it appeared as though Chimaev had dislocated his jaw.
That turned out to not be the case, but Whittaker did suffer a rather nasty injury, later revealing that multiple teeth in his mouth had been pushed in by the force Chimaev generated.
Khamzat Chimaev is ‘The Guy’
Reacting to Chimaev’s dominant performance during his JRE Fight Companion, the longtime UFC color commentator suggested that ‘Borz’ should be next in line for a title shot.
”That guy’s [Chimaev] a scary a** motherf*cker. That grappling is next level. He’s a beast… Once he gets a hold of you, it’s so dangerous…You give him the title shot. Holy sh*t. He gets a title shot, I think. Not just [beating Whittaker in the first round], but ran through him.
“He didn’t get touched. He ran through him and strangled him in the first round. He might be the guy…Think about this at [185 pounds]. So this guy was killing himself to get to 170. At 185, he’s the f*cking man.”
Unfortunately, the next shot at Du Plessis has already been promised to ex-champion Sean Strickland following his win over Paulo Costa at UFC 302 in June, and ‘Tarzan’ isn’t about to let anyone step in front of him.
Of course, nobody would be surprised if the promotion decided to strike while the iron is hot and hand Chimaev his first UFC title opportunity instead of a rematch between Strickland and ‘DDP.’ It certainly wouldn’t be the first time the UFC has passed up the next man in line for something a little more exciting. Just ask Magomed Ankalev.
