Undefeated middleweight contender Khamzat Chimaev hasn’t made the trip back down to 170 since the UFC 279 weigh-in debacle saw the main event bout between Borz and Nate Diaz fall apart at the 11th hour.
Despite that, ahead of his fight with UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis in Chicago next weekend, Chimaev isn’t ruling out another trip down to 170, or a move up to 205.
During a recent sitdown with ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, Chimaev recalled a conversation he had with his coach about a potential move back down to 170:
“I work with a new coach and talk to him about going down again to 170. He said gimme a couple months and I’m gonna make it.
“I don’t know who is the champ there, this Australian guy. Would be a good fight for me. Go down, fight with him as well, take the belt there. If I go up, there is Ankalaev and Alex Pereira, they’re fighting now. Whoever’s winning, I can fight for that belt, as well.”
As Chimaev went on to say during his UFC 319 media workout this week, filmed by MMAFighting, a second title at 170 would be the fastest route to becoming the UFC’s pound-for-pound kingpin.
Of course, before that, he’ll have to get through Dricus du Plessis, who has yet to taste defeat inside the Octagon.
Khamzat Chimaev Fires Back at Sean Strickland
Over the past few months, Chimaev and Sean Strickland have continued to go back and forth.
The two, who once trained together years back in 2022, have engaged in a series of back-and-forth exchanges online, with Strickland notably taking aim at Chimaev’s connection to Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.
During the aforementioned open workout this week filmed by MMAFighting, Chimaev fired back, essentially telling the former middleweight champion to pull up and talk man-to-man instead of taking jabs at him online.
“When I was there, he never said anything. When I leave Vegas and they stopped my visa, he started to talk. [Now] I’m back, I’m in LA. If it’s something personal for you, just come, I’m here whenever you want.”
Given that Strickland’s currently suspended for storming the cage and attacking a fighter who beat his teammate at a Tuff-N-Uff event, there’s no telling when the former champ will be able to return to action in hopes of moving one step closer to his own title fight.
Chimaev Weighs In On Down Dricus du Plessis’ Style
Heading into Khamzat Chimaev’s upcoming fight with Dricus du Plessis, there’s been a lot of talk about how the undefeated contender will handle the unique style of Dricus du Plessis.
While former welterweight champion Belal Muhammad stated that Chimaev’s, quote, “cleaner” striking could be the difference maker come fight night, Borz doesn’t see what everyone’s talking about when it comes to DDP”s unique fighting style.
“Everyone says he has a weird style. That’s MMA style. I don’t think it’s something crazy or weird. He does his job, he does good, and he’s a good fighter. I’m better.”
As Chimaev’s head coach, Joakim Karlsson, stated while addressing members of the press during this week’s media workout, the two didn’t prepare for DDP’s unique style.
Instead, they focused on putting the No. 1 contender in a position to fight his fight.
Khamzat Chimaev Reveals Plans For Second Title After UFC 319