Tag: Khamzat Chimaev

Khamzat Chimaev stokes flames on potential UFC clash with Kamaru Usman: ‘You know you’re old, bro’

Khamzat Chimaev welcomes Kamaru Usman fight UFC You know you're too old broAfter receiving a prior call out from former undisputed UFC welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman – undefeated division contender, Khamzat Chimaev has welcomed a showdown with the former pound-for-pound number one, claiming it is now top for him to take over the weight class. Chimaev, who currently holds the #4 rank in the official welterweight pile, […]

Khamzat Chimaev welcomes Kamaru Usman fight UFC You know you're too old bro

After receiving a prior call out from former undisputed UFC welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman – undefeated division contender, Khamzat Chimaev has welcomed a showdown with the former pound-for-pound number one, claiming it is now top for him to take over the weight class.

Chimaev, who currently holds the #4 rank in the official welterweight pile, was dropped from the division top-3 this week, following Belal Muhammad’s decision win over one-time title challenger, Gilbert Burns at UFC 288 over last weekend, paired with his continued inactivity from the Octagon.

Sidelined since co-headlining UFC 279 back in September of last year, Chechen-born contender, Chimaev most recently improved to 12-0 as a professional with a dominant opening round D’Arce choke submission win over Kevin Holland in an impromptu catchweight matchup. 

As for Auchi native, Usman, the former undisputed welterweight champion offered to fight Khamzat Chimaev in his Octagon return in the coming months, having most recently suffered a majority decision title challenge loss to three-time foe, Leon Edwards at UFC 286 back in March.

“A fight with myself and Khamzat (Chimaev)? Boom,” Kamaru Usman said. “I’m kind of in a place now where I’m having fun with it, and what’s the biggest, funnest, most intense fight that really makes me feel something? That’s a fight right now there. That could headline a pay-per-view.”

“He’s (Khamzat Chimaev) a fighter and I’m a fighter at the end of the day,” Kamaru Usman explained. “I fight these guys’ hearts, not their weight, I’ve been able to deal with middleweights and light heavyweights in the gym. And if he wants a shot at the welterweight strap, you kind of have to give it a little bit and show I can get down there and do it. But if it’s up a weight, potentially.” 

Khamzat Chimaev entertains UFC showdown with ex-champion, Kamaru Usman

Blaming the UFC for a lack of fight offers which has hampered his usual busy schedule since September, Chimaev, who seen a potential fight at a catchweight limit against former champion, Usman shot down by promotional boss, Dana White – once more poked the Nigerian today on his social media.

“@USMAN84kg I respect you, you were one of the best, you know you’re old bro, and you know it’s my time,” Khamzat Chimaev tweeted at Kamaru Usman. 

Yet to book his return to the Octagon, Chimaev has been linked to a comeback fight at UFC 294 in October in a return to Abu Dhabi, UAE for the organization, as well as a bout with middleweight contender, Paulo Costa. 

Khamzat Chimaev issues warning to UFC rival Leon Edwards: ‘You know who the real king is’

Khamzat Chimaev issues warning to Leon Edwards you know who the real king is UFCUndefeated welterweight contender, Khamzat Chimaev has issued a stark warning to division champion, Leon Edwards – claiming he is the actual kingpin of the division. Chimaev, slipped to #4 in the official welterweight pile last week following Belal Muhammad’s decision win over common-foe, Gilbert Burns at UFC 288 in Newark, New Jersey. As for Edwards, […]

Khamzat Chimaev issues warning to Leon Edwards you know who the real king is UFC

Undefeated welterweight contender, Khamzat Chimaev has issued a stark warning to division champion, Leon Edwards – claiming he is the actual kingpin of the division.

Chimaev, slipped to #4 in the official welterweight pile last week following Belal Muhammad’s decision win over common-foe, Gilbert Burns at UFC 288 in Newark, New Jersey.

As for Edwards, the Birmingham native most recently headlined UFC 286 back in March of this year in his native England, wrapping up his first title defense with a majority decision win over Kamaru Usman in the pair’s championship trilogy rubber match.

Expected to make his Octagon return later this year, Chimaev claimed that the UFC had yet to offer him a concrete fight offer, despite links to a return at UFC 294 in October in Abu Dhabi, UAE – in a pairing opposite one-time middleweight title challenger, Paulo Costa.

Also expected to make a middleweight division move following a September weight issue ahead of a UFC 279 headliner with Nate Diaz, as per the afore-noted, White, Chechen-born contender, Khamzat Chimaev insisted that he would decide his fighting future and weight to boot. 

Sidelined since September of last year, Chimaev, who missed weight by seven-and-a-half pounds for his slated UFC 279 headliner with Diaz, was eventually pulled from the slot, in favor of a co-main event catchweight clash against Kevin Holland, improving to 12-0 with an opening round D’Arce choke submission win. 

Khamzat Chimaev takes aim at UFC welterweight kingpin, Leon Edwards

And ahead of his expected comeback clash later this year, Chimaev has issued a notable warning to Edwards – whom he was scheduled to fight on no less than three separate occasions prior to the latter’s championship coronation.

“You know who is the king,” Khamzat Chimaev tweeted in response to Leon Edwards, who described the welterweight division as “light work” and claimed he was unmoved by who he could possibly fight next.

Khamzat Chimaev issues warning to UFC rival Leon Edwards: ‘You know who the real king is’

Khamzat Chimaev issues warning to Leon Edwards you know who the real king is UFCUndefeated welterweight contender, Khamzat Chimaev has issued a stark warning to division champion, Leon Edwards – claiming he is the actual kingpin of the division. Chimaev, slipped to #4 in the official welterweight pile last week following Belal Muhammad’s decision win over common-foe, Gilbert Burns at UFC 288 in Newark, New Jersey. As for Edwards, […]

Khamzat Chimaev issues warning to Leon Edwards you know who the real king is UFC

Undefeated welterweight contender, Khamzat Chimaev has issued a stark warning to division champion, Leon Edwards – claiming he is the actual kingpin of the division.

Chimaev, slipped to #4 in the official welterweight pile last week following Belal Muhammad’s decision win over common-foe, Gilbert Burns at UFC 288 in Newark, New Jersey.

As for Edwards, the Birmingham native most recently headlined UFC 286 back in March of this year in his native England, wrapping up his first title defense with a majority decision win over Kamaru Usman in the pair’s championship trilogy rubber match.

Expected to make his Octagon return later this year, Chimaev claimed that the UFC had yet to offer him a concrete fight offer, despite links to a return at UFC 294 in October in Abu Dhabi, UAE – in a pairing opposite one-time middleweight title challenger, Paulo Costa.

Also expected to make a middleweight division move following a September weight issue ahead of a UFC 279 headliner with Nate Diaz, as per the afore-noted, White, Chechen-born contender, Khamzat Chimaev insisted that he would decide his fighting future and weight to boot. 

Sidelined since September of last year, Chimaev, who missed weight by seven-and-a-half pounds for his slated UFC 279 headliner with Diaz, was eventually pulled from the slot, in favor of a co-main event catchweight clash against Kevin Holland, improving to 12-0 with an opening round D’Arce choke submission win. 

Khamzat Chimaev takes aim at UFC welterweight kingpin, Leon Edwards

And ahead of his expected comeback clash later this year, Chimaev has issued a notable warning to Edwards – whom he was scheduled to fight on no less than three separate occasions prior to the latter’s championship coronation.

“You know who is the king,” Khamzat Chimaev tweeted in response to Leon Edwards, who described the welterweight division as “light work” and claimed he was unmoved by who he could possibly fight next.

Khamzat Chimaev drops from welterweight top-3 rankings amid continued UFC hiatus

Khamzat Chimaev drops from top-3 welterweight rankings UFC hiatusUndefeated UFC welterweight contender, Khamzat Chimaev has dropped form the official top-3 stack in the division as part of the latest ranking update this week following UFC 288 – following his continued hiatus from active competition.  Chimaev, who landed at #3 in the official welterweight rankings in April of last year, did so after earning […]

Khamzat Chimaev drops from top-3 welterweight rankings UFC hiatus

Undefeated UFC welterweight contender, Khamzat Chimaev has dropped form the official top-3 stack in the division as part of the latest ranking update this week following UFC 288 – following his continued hiatus from active competition. 

Chimaev, who landed at #3 in the official welterweight rankings in April of last year, did so after earning a close, unanimous decision victory over one-time title challenger, Gilbert Burns in Jacksonville, Florida.

The Chechen-born contender returned to the Octagon at UFC 279 last September in an eventual co-main event catchweight slot against rescheduled opponent, Kevin Holland, scoring a first round D’Arce choke submission win to move to 12-0 as a professional.

Linked with an Octagon return in October in the form of a middleweight fight against one-time division title chaser, Paulo Costa at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi, UAE – Khamzat Chimaev has yet to officially book his return, however.

Khamzat Chimaev voices displeasure with the UFC

Sharing his thoughts on claims from UFC leader, Dana White that “personal stuff” had ruled him from a sooner Octagon return than October, Chimaev claimed himself that he was ready to fight, complaining about a lack of opponents on show and fight offers from the organization. 

And as part of the newest rankings update, the AllStars MMA staple has slipped to #4 in the rankings – just above the above-mentioned, Burns.

Over the course of the weekend, welterweight action was on show in high-profile at UFC 288 at the Prudential Center, with Belal Muhammad scooping the #3 rank in the division with a one-sided unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) triumph over Burns – earning himself a title fight against either Leon Edwards, or Colby Covington to boot. 

A six-fight Octagon veteran, Khamzat Chimaev, a former Brave CF staple had landed in the Octagon back in July 2020 with back-to-back, record-setting wins over both John Philips, and Rhys McKee – before then besting Gerald Meerschaert, and Li Jingliang with first round finishes before his wins against Burns and Holland. 

Khamzat Chimaev growing frustrated with UFC over lack of fight offers: ‘The problem is definitely not with me’

Khamzat ChimaevKhamzat Chimaev appears to be growing increasingly frustrated with the lack of individuals willing to step up and fight him inside the Octagon. The undefeated Chechen monster stormed into the UFC in 2020, scoring three-straight finishes in eight weeks. Unfortunately, an especially difficult bout with COVID-19 kept him out of action for over a year, […]

Khamzat Chimaev

Khamzat Chimaev appears to be growing increasingly frustrated with the lack of individuals willing to step up and fight him inside the Octagon.

The undefeated Chechen monster stormed into the UFC in 2020, scoring three-straight finishes in eight weeks. Unfortunately, an especially difficult bout with COVID-19 kept him out of action for over a year, but Chimaev returned with a vengeance in October 2021, earning a fourth finish against Li Jingliang. Since then, Chimaev has only fought twice, earning notable wins over top-five welterweight contender Gilbert Burns and fan-favorite Kevin Holland.

Since showing up for his previously scheduled main event against Nate Diaz at UFC 279 eight pounds overweight, things have been up in the air as to whether or not Khamzat Chimaev would continue to compete in the welterweight division or move up to middleweight in an effort to mitigate the effects of his weight-cut to 170. During his time on the sidelines, many fans and fighters alike criticized Chimaev for refusing to accept fights. ‘Borz’ snapped back at those individuals on Twitter, suggesting that he is not the one turning down fights.

“I have no problems with fights, if they gave me a fight, I would have fought a long time ago, I did so many training camps and not one fight, the problem is definitely not with me, prepared in dubai then to thailand, why do I train so much if there is no fight, I don’t understand,” Chimaev tweeted.

Khamzat Chimaev Calls Out a Slew of the UFC’s Best

Khamzat Chimaev followed up that tweet with another saying, “if I want to fight 77 if I want to fight 84 I decide.” Chimaev then proceeded to tag a slew of fighters on the social media platform, suggesting he is more than willing to accept a fight with any of them willing to step up.

“I can fight with everyone I don’t care who @bullyb170 @USMAN84kg @stylebender @Leon_edwardsmma @ColbyCovMMA @robertwhittaker,” Chimaev wrote.

Khamzat Chimaev has been linked with all of the tagged fighters at one time or another. Recently, former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman offered to fight Chimaev, suggesting the two compete in a catchweight contest. UFC President Dana White was not a fan of it being done at catchweight, but revealed that if ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ wants to make the move to middleweight, it is a fight he would certainly entertain.

With both fighters looking for a big win to stay relevant in the UFC title picture, the fight makes a lot of sense. Whether or not it gets booked remains to be seen. With the UFC scheduled for a return to Abu Dhabi in October, it’s possible the promotion may hold off on booking ‘Borz’ until then.

Who would you like to see Khamzat Chimaev square off with next?

Dana White explains Khamzat Chimaev’s continued UFC absence: ‘He’s got stuff going on in his personal life’

Khamzat Chimaev absence UFC he's got personal stuff going on in his lifeUFC president, Dana White has confirmed that streaking welterweight contender, Khamzat Chimaev is currently dealing with “stuff in his personal life” amid his continued absence from the Octagon.  Chimaev, the current #3 ranked welterweight contender, has been sidelined from active competition since September of last year, co-headlining UFC 279 in a one-sided first round submission […]

Khamzat Chimaev absence UFC he's got personal stuff going on in his life

UFC president, Dana White has confirmed that streaking welterweight contender, Khamzat Chimaev is currently dealing with “stuff in his personal life” amid his continued absence from the Octagon. 

Chimaev, the current #3 ranked welterweight contender, has been sidelined from active competition since September of last year, co-headlining UFC 279 in a one-sided first round submission win over Kevin Holland, securing a D’Arce choke victory.

The victory came as Chimaev’s second of the year, having previously landed a competitive unanimous decision win over incoming UFC 288 co-headliner, Gilbert Burns in Jacksonville, Florida. 

Khamzat Chimaev is expected to fight Paulo Costa at UFC 294 in October

Expected to make his Octagon return later this year at UFC 294 in October in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Chimaev’s continued absence has been questioned across the community, amid links to a fight against one-time title challenger, Paulo Costa at the middleweight limit. 

And according to the above-mentioned, White, personal issues with Chimaev have limited his options for an earlier return until the final quarter of this annum.

“That’s on him [Khamzat Chimaev[, though – he’s got stuff going on in his personal life,” Dana White said of Khamzat Chimaev’s continued absence during an interview with TSN reporter, Aaron Bronsteter. “That’s not because, you know, we’re not getting him a fight.”

“Obviously, you know how it goes here,” Dana White explained. “We talk about this all time, we have to get guys three fights a year. So, if we don’t get guys three fights a year, we have to pay ‘em. The only way that would happen, is it they have personal stuff going on.” 

Recently, former undisputed welterweight gold holder and former pound-for-pound number one, Kamaru Usman claimed he would be open to fighting Chimaev in his Octagon return later this year, with White confirming the Auchi native would need to move to the middleweight limit to make the fight possible, shooting down a catchweight affair.