The hottest prospect in the UFC is up for anything.
Few fighters have seen their stock rise as high, or as fast, as Khamzat Chimaev has during the COVID-era. He stormed onto the UFC scene in the summer of 2020 with three quick victories. His upward trajectory was then halted due to a serious bout with the virus.
Chimaev’s COVID infection kept him out of action for the latter half of last year, costing him a fight with Leon Edwards. It wasn’t until October when he returned. However, by blasting through Li Jingliang, he was able to reignite the hype that we saw last year.
Now Chimaev is eager for another opponent and he doesn’t seem too fussy about it.
The Chechen-born Swede isn’t exactly a sniper when it comes to calling out opponents. His approach thus far has been more scatter-shot, with a bevvy of names being thrown out online.
Some of his latest call-outs include Colby Covington, which makes a little sense (they are both welterweights). The stranger names mentioned include ex UFC heavyweight champions Brock Lesnar and Daniel Cormier.
Let’s fight till one man leaves the cage @BrockLesnar
— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) November 30, 2021
There’s little chance Lesnar is coming back to the UFC (though stranger things have happened). Even so, if the WWE superstar did decide to come back, it seems unlikely that he’d face someone like Chimaev.
Like his call-out of Lesnar, Chimaev’s challenge to Cormier was half-serious. To DC he proposed a wrestling bout.
In a real wrestling match? Are you crazy Khamzat? Love that you’re confident but brother this is 10-0 DC ! @KChimaev https://t.co/yZhpi9Viiz
— Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) November 30, 2021
“Let’s make a wrestling match brother what you think?” wrote Borz, who recently bested fellow UFC fighter Jack Hermansson in a wrestling exhibition.
Cormier was quick to respond and smackdown Chimaev’s idea. “In a real wrestling match? Are you crazy Khamzat” Love that you’re confident but brother this is 10-0 DC!”
Cormier’s freestyle wrestling achievements are beyond reproach. He’s a six-time U.S. National Champion who finished third in the 2007 World Championships.
Chimaev is no slouch on the mats, though. He does have four Swedish Championships to his name.
The call-out of Covington, like all the others, took place on Twitter. In trying to make this bout happen, Chimaev wrote, “Call the cops I’m coming for you [Covington].” Later he claimed “you do not represent USA, I represent USA, you represent cowardice.”
Covington is coming off a loss to Kamaru Usman for the welterweight title at UFC 268. He remains ranked as the number one contender in the UFC’s official rankings. Presently Chimaev occupies the 11th spot on the rankings, behind Belal Muhammad, Michael Chiesa and Sean Brady.