Top-ranked UFC welterweight Khamzat Chimaev may have decided that he’s moving up to 185 pounds for his next fight.
That’s what his tweet on September 23rd indicated. Nearly two weeks after his showstopping performance at UFC 279, “Borz” took to Twitter to write: “185 (fist emoji and collision emoji).” See below via the embedded tweet:
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Chimaev, who boasts an undefeated professional mixed martial arts record of 12-0, competed in a 180-pound catchweight contest for his last trip to the Octagon.
He was originally scheduled to headline the September 10th event against Nate Diaz in a welterweight clash, however a day before the bout, Borz missed the 171-pound limit by nearly eight pounds, tipping the scale at 178.5 during the official weigh-in ceremony.
The UFC brass was forced the reshuffle the fight card. They moved Chimaev to the co-main slot to face off against Kevin Holland, who had already weighed in at 179.5 pounds for a catchweight fight with Daniel Rodriguez.
The two met in the cage and Chimaev needed less than three minutes to put Holland away. He caught the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt in a D’Arce choke, forcing the tap.
Chimaev’s Future as a Welterweight Has Been Questioned By Many in the Combat Sports World
It was Chimaev’s sixth victory as a UFC athlete and when the promotion’s official standings updated the next week, Borz maintained his spot as the No. 3-ranked welterweight.
However, many in the combat sports world questioned if Chimaev could continue making weight to compete in the division.
When UFC president Dana White was asked about Chimaev’s future as a 170-pound fighter, he said at the UFC 279 post-fight press conference (h/t MMA Junkie): “It’s a problem that he missed weight. We have to look at it and figure it out, but what makes sense is for him to fight at (185). So we’ll see.”
Judging by Chimaev’s tweet on Friday, he may share the UFC president’s sentiment. And Chimaev already has experience in the UFC’s middleweight division, submitting John Phillips in July 2020 and knocking out Gerald Meerschaert two months later.
Could Fans See Chimaev vs. Paulo Costa Next?
One middleweight contender who would enjoy welcoming Borz to the top 10 of the division is Paulo Costa. The No. 6-ranked combatant and Chimaev got into a verbal altercation during the UFC 279 fight week and when Costa appeared on “The MMA Hour” with Ariel Helwani on Monday, he issued a challenge to Borz.
“Borrachinha” said that he had “stolen everything” from Chimaev because of the altercation, including Chimaev’s “night’s sleep” and main-event fight at UFC 279. “So, I think I need to fight that guy,” Costa said on the show.
Helwani reacted to Chimaev’s cryptic 185-pound tweet, writing: “If Khamzat is really off to 185, it’s gotta be Khamzat v Costa next. Easiest booking ever.”
Costa placed himself back into the win column last month after suffering back-to-back defeats inside the cage. He dueled former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold during UFC 278 on August 20 and after a hard-fought three rounds, the Brazilian picked up a victory via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27).
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Khamzat Chimaev Seemingly Makes Major Decision Shortly After UFC Mishap