Getty Khamzat Chimaev prepares for his welterweight fight.
UFC star Khamzat Chimaev issued a fiery message for top-ranked welterweight Jorge Masvidal.
Rising sensation Chimaev is one of the most promising prospects in the sport. The undefeated Chechen was last seen inside the cage against Kevin Holland at UFC 279 last September. Although he was initially scheduled to headline the card versus fan favorite Nate Diaz, a weight miss would drop him down to the co-main event. He came out firing from the get-go and dispatched Holland in the opening round by submission.
Following the win, Chimaev appeared to be in line for a 170-pound title shot eliminator bout with former interim champion Colby Covington. He also got linked to a permanent move up to the middleweight division. However, no concrete developments happened.
In an interview with Red Corner MMA, ‘Borz’ fired shots at Masvidal for his old comments.
“Masvidal, I thought he was a cool guy,” said Chimaev. “I never talked anything bad about him but he started talking some nonsense about me. So I will have to smash him too.”
Chimaev does not buy into the gangster persona of some UFC athletes, such as Diaz and Masvidal.
“I would say there are no real gangsters there. Gangsters don’t take part in fist-fight competitions. I don’t know who I should give respect to. As soon as I got popular they all started talking trash towards me, even those I was respectful to.”
Masvidal Criticized Chimaev Before His Last Outing
During the build-up to UFC 279, Masvidal bashed Chimaev’s abilities inside the cage and argued against his prior win over Gilbert Burns.
“That was supposed to be his coming out party and it didn’t go according to plan,” Masvidal told MMA Fighting. “A lot of people felt Gilbert won that fight — a lot of people still think Gilbert won that fight.
“I don’t really think Khamzat is as good as they say he is. I’m more of a see then believe [guy] and I haven’t seen anything that makes me a believer in this guy yet. I, personally, would love to break his face. Once he starts selling pay-per-views and s*** like that, I wouldn’t mind breaking his f****** face.”
It appears Chimaev is not over their dispute and may be trying to set up a fight ‘Gamebred,’ who is scheduled to take on Gilbert Burns at UFC 287 on Apr. 8.
Masvidal further criticized his grappling-heavy fighting style.
“They probably wanted to pair Diaz with someone, stylistically, that’s not the best when I think of f****** Khamzat,” Masvidal told MMA Fighting. “So they gave him a boring ass wrestler who is going to try and hug his legs, and sniff his crotch.
“I think Khamzat probably wins, but I can see Nate putting him away in rounds four or five because Khamzat doesn’t have that gas tank. He doesn’t have that experience, and I think he gets too in the moment where he’s wasting energy doing stupid s***. Nate is going to conserve all of that energy and get in his face when it counts. I think Khamzat should win, but I won’t be surprised if Nate stops his ass.”
Chimaev Explained His Struggles in Booking His Next Fight
‘Borz’ opened up on his frustrations in finding his next opponent. He’s hoping the UFC is keeping him on the sidelines for a big opportunity next.
“I have no clue either,” he added. “At first, they said it was Colby Covington. We’ve been waiting for half a year. It looks like he doesn’t want it. They all call me out but as soon as the UFC tries to make the fight they start running. I think it’s going to be the winner of Usman vs Edwards III. Whoever takes it will face me.”