Khamzat Chimaev teased a move up to middleweight just one week ago, but the undefeated sensation is already walking that back in favor of a clash with welterweight contender Colby Covington.
Coming off a shocking weight miss for his main event clash with Nate Diaz at UFC 279 — which resulted in Khamzat fighting Kevin Holland in a catchweight bout — Chimaev was expected to make a move from 170 pounds to 185 pounds his next time out. The two-division threat has already captured UFC wins at the middleweight level so it wouldn’t have been a complete change of pace. Khamzat even mentioned this move in the below tweet one week ago.
1 8 5 pic.twitter.com/urOK6BPayG
— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) September 23, 2022
It now appears as if “Borz” wants to keep competing in the welterweight division and fight his way to the top. Having turned in a 6-0 record since making his Octagon debut back in 2020 it’s safe to say that Khamzat is just one or two wins away from his first ever UFC title shot. Outside of his Fight of the Night performance opposite Gilbert Burns at UFC 273, Chimaev has dominated every single opponent and has barely absorbed any damage.
Earlier this week, Khamzat took to social media to claim that a matchup with Covington would be next. While UFC has already flirted with this potential fight in the past it’s an indicator now that Chimaev plans on making the cut down to 170 pounds and finishing what he started in the division.
@ColbyCovMMA next ??
— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) September 28, 2022
“Colby Covington next,” wrote Chimaev accompanied by a skull and crossbones emoji.
Of course, UFC has final say as to which division Chimaev will compete in. After nearly blowing up UFC 279 the promotion will likely want to have a long sit down with the 28-year-old fighter and gauge how serious he truly is.