Chael Sonnen explains why Khamzat Chimaev's next opponent will not be Colby Covington

Khamzat Chimaev (left), Chael Sonnen (center), Colby Covington (right) [Credits: @colbycovmma via Instagram]

Chael Sonnen dismissed the idea of a potential fight between Khamzat Chimaev and Colby Covington.

'The Bad Guy', via his YouTube channel, stated that since UFC president Dana White said that Khamzat Chimaev is a few fights away from a title shot, giving him a bout against Colby Covington would complicate issues.

Sonnen believes if Chimaev somehow pulled off a victory against Covington, the UFC would then be liable to give him a shot at Kamaru Usman's welterweight strap.

"The elimination of Colby Covington... Dana White said, 'He's [Chimaev] four fights away from us discussing him being in a title fight'... I do not think, and you guys will back me up on this, there is nobody in the 170 lbs that can beat Colby Covington right now and not automatically become the No.1 contender. Colby made it clear...that he's the second-best fighter alive... we've been told that Chimaev is four matches away from being in there for the belt, so if he gets in there and gets the jump on Colby, you gotta throw him in [against Kamaru Usman]... it'd be irresponsible not to."

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Khamzat Chimaev has rapidly become one of the rising stars in the welterweight division. 'Borz' has had an incredible run inside the octagon with a record of 4-0 since arriving in the UFC in 2020.

Since his latest win over Li Jingliang at UFC 267, the Swede has called out numerous welterweights including Colby Covington and the champion Kamaru Usman. Chimaev also indulged in a social media feud with Covington soon after his latest win.

Colby Covington vs. Khamzat Chimaev anyone? https://t.co/VOHX2b3EYV

However, the UFC is yet to finalize Chimaev's next bout.

Jon Anik clarifies UFC's intentions about Khamzat Chimaev going into 2022

Jon Anik believes Khamzat Chimaev has all the tools to climb up the ladder. However, the UFC commentator questioned the Swedish fighter's commitment to stay at welterweight.

Chimaev has fought in both the middleweight and welterweight divisions since joining the UFC.

Jon Anik: Khamzat Chimaev is biggest ‘burning question’ heading into UFC’s 2022 campaign (@MikeHeck_JR) mmafighting.com/2022/1/1/22859… https://t.co/HHBhZyhwux

The popular commentator, who has been calling play-by-play action from cageside for a long time, expressed his opinion about the Swede's rapid rise to stardom.

He labeled Kamaru Usman as one of the greatest of all time. However, Anik was interested in seeing if Chimaev could match up with one of the best fighters on the planet in Usman.

On MMA Fighting's podcast, Between the Links, Anik said:

"People bang on me and Dana White because they think there’s some agenda with Khamzat Chimaev. We’re going by what we see with our own eyes...The big question was, how many times can he make 170 pounds? Was he long for this division?...So, yeah, my burning question is, is Khamzat Chimaev as elite as he seems to be, as strong and as dangerous as he seems to be? And can he work himself into a fight with a guy in Kamaru Usman, who is something like 15-0 in the UFC and one of the greatest, if not the greatest of all-time? That’s sort of at the tip of my tongue right now."

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