Undefeated UFC welterweight contender, Khamzat Chimaev has claimed that before he calls time on his professional mixed martial arts career, he wants to land two or three world championships in his trophy cabinet.
Sitting at #10 in the official welterweight rankings, Chimaev, who boasts an undefeated 10-0 professional record, has managed to so far embark on an impressive four-fight winning run since his move to the UFC less than two years ago.
Khamzat Chimaev entered the UFC with a pair of back-to-back finishes over John Philips and Rhys McKee inside 10 days
Earning his slot in the official welterweight top-10 back in October, Chimaev stopped Li Jingliang with an incredibly one-sided first round rear-naked choke, scoring his fourth straight stoppage win under the promotion’s banner.
Yet to return since his third career excursion on ‘Fight Island’ in Abu Dhabi, UAE – Chimaev has been linked to a high-stakes outing against the #2 ranked one-time title challenger, Gilbert Burns, at both UFC 273 and UFC 274 on April 9. and May 7., respectively.
While a bout has yet to come to fruition at the time of publication, Chimaev envisions a win over Burns, before scoring a guaranteed title-eliminator against either upcoming UFC 272 headliners, Colby Covington or Jorge Masvidal – before dethroning division kingpin, Kamaru Usman.
The Chechen-born finisher also recently called out reigning middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya, having competed at 185lbs in his promotional bow. And during a recent interview with RT Sport, claimed he wants to add two or three championships to his trophy cabinet before calling it a career.
“Well, probably getting a few more championships belts,” Khamzat Chimaev told RT Sport. “Becoming the best. I don’t want to be just a regular guy who won one belt. I want two or three belts. We’ll see, if I can do it I will do it. We may make our plans, but God has the last word.”
A victory over Burns in a potential matchup this quarter would go a long way in Chimaev’s pursuit of the welterweight crown. And he believes he’ll likely dispatch the Brazilian in relatively straightforward fashion.
“All those numbers mean nothing,” Khamzat Chimaev said. “To be honest, I don’t see a real challenge in him (Gilbert Burns). We’ll see. Everything may happen in a fight, but I am confident as usual. I think I will just smash him with my skills and power. I feel that way. He might feel different, but I will go there and do what I did the last time.” (Transcribed by BJPENN.com)