Khamzat Chimaev is already eyeing a UFC middleweight title showdown with newly crowned 185-pound king Israel Adesanya.
On Saturday night, ‘The Last Stylebender’ scored a jaw-dropping second-round knockout of longtime rival Alex Pereira to regain the middleweight title. Mere moments after Adesanya landed a right hand “from the gods,” Chimaev took to Twitter, congratulating the new champion on his victory before issuing a warning.
Congratulations @stylebender see you soon
— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) April 9, 2023
Khamzat Chimaev Sets His Sights on Israel Adesanya Following UFC 287
7 years removed from his first loss against Alex Pereira under the GLORY Kickboxing banner, Israel Adesanya finally got a W against his towering Brazilian boogeyman. Unfortunately, he may not have much time to enjoy the victory as fighters are already lining up for their shot to dethrone the two-time titleholder. That includes the undefeated Chechen monster who has his eyes on UFC gold.
Khamzat Chimaev stormed into the UFC in 2020, rattling off three wins in less than two months before an especially bad bout with COVID-19 put him on the shelf for more than a year. Returning in 2021, Chimaev returned with a vengeance, earning a first-round submission of Li Jingliang before facing the toughest test of his career at UFC 273. ‘Borz’ went into battle with perennial contender Gilbert Burns, earning a hard-fought unanimous decision victory, the first time he would go to the scorecards under the UFC banner.
Chimaev has since added another win to his resume, mauling fan-favorite Kevin Holland on his way to a first-round submission.
In December, Khamzat Chimaev was heavily rumored to step inside the Octagon with then-middleweight champion Alex Pereira, but with the Brazilian fresh off of his UFC 281 clash with Israel Adesanya, the two parties were unable to come to terms. Now with ‘The Last Stylebender’ back in control of the division, ‘Borz’ has a new target to set his sights on.
Following the events of UFC 287, is Israel Adesanya vs. Khamzat Chimaev the fight to make?