UFC superstar Khamzat Chimaev will need to change his plans after the recent title losses of Kamaru Usman and Israel Adesanya.
Chimaev expected a title shot against former 170-pound king Kamaru Usman before Leon Edwards took the throne. In similar fashion, ‘Borz’ missed out on a potential showdown with former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, who lost his title to longtime rival and new 185-pound champion Alex Pereira at UFC 281 last weekend.
In an interview with Brett Okamoto of ESPN, Chimaev expressed his frustrations with getting a big fight ahead and shared his proposal with the UFC brass.
“Before, I was thinking if Kamaru Usman wins his fight, I will fight with him next. But he lost,” Chimaev said (transcribed by MMA Nytt). “And I was thinking if (Israel) Adesanya won his fight, who’s he going to fight? There’s only me. And he lost as well. Now (Pereira and Adesanya) want to rematch in March; I don’t know what they’re going to do.”
“So I said to Sean Shelby and Dana (White) as well: I’m ready for Pereira in Brazil. Directly after that, March, if Colby wants to fight, I’d take my title and I’d go down to 170 and fight Colby as well.”
Chimaev Says He Will Put Colby Covington To Sleep
Chimaev was last seen in action against Kevin Holland two months ago at UFC 279. He was originally lined up to face fan favorite Nate Diaz, who completed the final outing on his deal with the promotion, but needed to get his opponent shuffled after missing the nontitle welterweight limit by a mile.
He came out firing inside the octagon and handily dispatched Holland in the first round without absorbing a single significant strike, a feat he achieved for the fourth time under the UFC banner.
He got linked to a likely top contender contest with former interim welterweight titleholder Colby Covington. According to the Chechen-born Swede, Covington would not last long against him inside the cage.
“Colby is not the same kind of guy,” he continued. “Colby, I can take him down, submit him, I can knock him out. (Kamaru) Usman dropped him. (Jorge) Masvidal dropped him. So why not me? If I punch him, he will not come up. He will sleep there a long time.”
Chimaev Wants To Be Backup for UFC 282 Title Fight
Jiri Prochazka, reigning light heavyweight champion, is set to face former champion Glover Teixeira in the headlining bout of UFC 282 on Dec. 10 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. He pulled off an incredible comeback in their first encounter and went on to dethrone Teixeira with less than 30 seconds left in the contest.
Although he had promised former champion Jan Blachowicz a title shot before his crowing moment, ‘Denisa’ decided to first avenge what he labeled one of the worst performances of his career.
In an interview with Brett Okamoto of ESPN, Chimaev made his case to be the backup for the last pay-per-view of the year.
“For me, it actually doesn’t matter,” Chimaev said. “Just give me some fight and let’s fight. I’m ready. I’m ready for both divisions as well. If (Jiri) Prochazka and (Glover) Teixeira, their fight, if somebody gets changed or something happens there, I’m ready for them as well.”
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Usman & Adesanya’s Brutal Title Losses Derailed UFC Rival’s Plans