Khamzat Chimaev’s return to the Octagon is imminent.
Fight fans last saw the undefeated Chechen monster in October when he scored a majority decision victory over former welterweight world champion Kamaru Usman. Since then, rumors have been flying as to who he would face next.
In an interview ahead of this Saturday’s Fight Club Rush 19 event in Stockholm, Sweden ‘Borz’ offered up a timeline for his first appearance in 2024.
“In the summer, I think — in the summer we’ll be back,” Chimaev said. “I want to fight in Saudi Arabia, but I don’t think anyone wants to fight me there. So we’ll see what’s going to happen. Just waiting for something, and they want me to fight [at UFC] 300, but I said it’s too short a time for [170 pounds], I need more time.”
For a time, Chimaev was heavily rumored to feature on UFC 300 in April. As it turns out, the promotion offered him a spot opposite reigning welterweight titleholder Leon Edwards. However, With too short of a turnaround to properly make the weight and Ramadan going right up until fight week, ‘Borz’ decided it was best to take the advice of his brother and opt out of the opportunity.
“It wasn’t 100 percent sure, but we had talked, my manager said, ‘Maybe, maybe,’” Chimaev said of the Edwards matchup. “My brother said to me, ‘Not in Ramadan,’ so after Ramadan we take some time in camp and then we fight anyone.”
Following his win over the ‘Nigerian Nightmare’ at UFC 294, Khamzat Chimaev appears to be primed for a long-awaited title shot, whether it be at welterweight or middleweight. He was recently tied to a fight with Israel Adesanya in the Saudi Arabian capital on June 22, but UFC CEO Dana White was quick to squash those rumors.