Unbeaten middleweight contender, Khamzat Chimaev has been mooted as the next likeliest to fight for undisputed gold after UFC 297 this weekend according to Hall of Fame star, Michael Bisping – who points to the Chechen’s recent uptake in “hype”.
Chimaev, the current number nine ranked middleweight contender, has been sidelined since he co-headlined UFC 294 back in October of last year in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Landing his thirteenth consecutive professional victory, the AllStars MMA staple scored a close, majority decision win over former undisputed welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman in the pair’s short-notice – billed title-eliminator.
And sidelined through injury after a surgical procedure on his hand to address a ligament issue, Chimaev has claimed he’s been “guaranteed” a shot at either Sean Strickland or Dricus du Plessis after UFC 297.
Khamzat Chimaev receives backing to fight for gold after UFC 297
According to Manchester native, Bisping, Chimaev is most likely next to fight for middleweight gold, despite distinct reservations from Strickland, and most notably, du Plessis.
“I feel like I talked about this recently: Dricus du Plessis, if he does become the champion, there’s a lot of options for him right, but number one option is probably Khamzat Chimaev,” Michael Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “Yes, Israel Adesanya, there is beef there. They’ve squared off in the Octagon, they’ve went back and forth, they’re both claiming to be the real Adrican and all this type of stuff.”
“…Chimaev is ranked number nine, okay? And that’s probably another reason why Dricus says that he doesn’t deserve it,” Bisping explained. “Okay, fair enough, He’s ranked number nine, but he’s got a ton of hype. He just beat Kamaru Usman, who yes, was a welterweight, but he was the pound-for-pound number one. He was a longtime welterweight champion for many defenses and on top of that Dana said, whoever wins, Kamaru or Khamzat, they get to fight for the belt, so there it is there.”
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