Getty Khamzat Chimaev prepares for his welterweight fight against Gilbert Burns.
UFC superstar Khamzat Chimaev has shut down talks of a potential outing with Robert Whittaker.
The rising prospect took on longtime foe Kevin Holland this past Saturday at UFC 279. He initially got booked for a headlining contest against Nate Diaz but needed to find a new opponent after coming in at 178.5 pounds, a massive seven-and-a-half pounds over the agreed weight limit for the welterweight bout. Holland stepped up to settle his differences with Chimaev in a catchweight fight at 180 pounds on a day’s notice to save the card from collapsing.
Chimaev ran through Holland to earn a first-round submission victory, marking the fourth time “Borz” finished his opponent without taking a single significant strike. However, there were concerns over his future in the division, and a move up to middleweight got suggested.
Chimaev Is Not Interested in Fighting Robert Whittaker
During the post-fight press conference, “Borz” got asked about his options after the win. Considering a title shot would likely be distant, he explained his reasons for not being interested in a match with former UFC middleweight champion Whittaker.
“With Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards booked for their trilogy until next year, what fight makes the most sense for you next, a Colby Covington, maybe a Robert Whittaker up at middleweight, what makes sense to you?” the reporter asked.
“I like that guy (Whittaker),” Chimaev responded. “I don’t want to fight with good guys. I need some bad guys so I want to fight some bad guys and not feel sorry for that. I want to train with that guy. He’s really good, one of the best guys in the world. I was watching his fights, I wanted it for this sport, I’m a big fan so I watch all things, I watched how he trains and all these things.”
Chimaev is looking to compete against those who bashed him for his antics during the build-up to UFC 279.
“Yea, a lot of guys want to fight me. Robert never said something bad about me. There are a lot of boys talking s*** about me. I’m going to go take their heads off so we’ll see.”
Chimaev Has Embraced the Bad Guy Persona
While he went into the contest as a fan favorite, he came out of it as a major villain. “Borz” quickly turned into one of the most antagonistic figures in the sport after his reaction of flipping his middle fingers at the cameras. He also received loud boos from the crowd in attendance at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Chimaev made it clear that he did not care about the hate he received and looked on the bright side of gaining more popularity.
“You care about that s***?” Chimaev told Heavy and other media members (transcribed by Aaron Bronsteter of TSN Sports ). “I don’t care. I care about my family, I care about my family, I care about my career, I care about my money… One day they’re with me, one day they’re not with me.”
“Watch the weigh in on Instagram,” he added. “Look at who has the most views. Look at how many views I have and Diaz have and you’ll see who’s more of a star. People can say they don’t want to watch me fight, they’re liars. Everyone want to watch my fights, everyone wants to see a killer. Not that smoking s*** and drug dealers here. I’m a professional athlete here.”