5 reasons why Khamzat Chimaev deserves a UFC welterweight title shot if he beats Gilbert Burns
This weekend sees UFC 273 take place in Jacksonville, Florida. In one of the event’s biggest fights, prospect Khamzat Chimaev is set to take on former welterweight title challenger Gilbert Burns.
If Chimaev can beat Burns this weekend, will it be time for the UFC to give him a welterweight title shot?
Be afraid of the big bad Borz 🐺
[ @KChimaev | #UFC273 | Saturday | Live on ESPN+ PPV: ufc.ac/38c71dW ] https://t.co/bSdPx83EaY
Sure, it’d probably be considered early by some fans, as ‘Borz’ would be fighting for the gold in just his sixth appearance in the octagon, but the truth is that it’d definitely be a justified decision from the promotion.
With that said, here are five reasons why Khamzat Chimaev deserves a UFC welterweight title shot if he beats Gilbert Burns.
#5. Gilbert Burns would be the best possible win for Khamzat Chimaev
It goes without saying that in most instances, a UFC fighter will need to beat at least one highly ranked opponent before claiming a title shot. Right now, Khamzat Chimaev has beaten just one top fifteen ranked opponent – Li Jingliang – hence why at this point, it wouldn’t be right to give him a shot at the gold.
If he beats Gilbert Burns this weekend, though, that would all change instantly. Essentially, a win over ‘Durinho’ would probably mean more than a win over any other welterweight in the division right now.
Sure, Burns is ranked below Colby Covington, but there’s definitely an argument that the Brazilian has achieved more impressive victories than ‘Chaos’ in recent years, as he’s not only beaten Tyron Woodley and Demian Maia, but his last fight saw him overcome the highly-ranked Stephen Thompson.
Durinho's got dynamite in his hands 🧨
[ @GilbertDurinho | #UFC273 | April 9 | Live on ESPN+ PPV: ufc.ac/38c71dW ] https://t.co/Z20uqZwSqE
Khamzat Chimaev would undoubtedly gain more notoriety if he were to defeat a bigger name like Nate Diaz or Jorge Masvidal, but in terms of climbing to the top of the rankings and earning a title shot, Burns is the perfect opponent for him.
Add in the fact that ‘Durinho’ gave reigning UFC welterweight champ Kamaru Usman a very tough test when they fought in 2021 – dropping him with a punch in the first round – and it goes without saying that if Chimaev can run through him like he’s done his previous opponents, it would be almost impossible to deny him a shot at UFC gold.