Dana White labels Khamzat Chimaev "special" after spectacular 17-second win
One of the biggest highlights of tonight's UFC Vegas 11 card was the 17-second victory of Khamzat Chimaev. The Chechen-born fighter made his return the Octagon on the back of two spectacular wins on Fight Island, and that too within the span of 10 days.
Upon his return, Borz put away Gerald Meerschaert via a brutal one-punch KO. This has gotten everyone talking and seemingly jumping aboard on the Khamzat Chimaev hype train. UFC President Dana White was hugely impressed with Chimaev's performance and labeled him as "absolutely special."
While speaking to Megan Olivi in a post-fight interview, Dana White had massive praise for Khamzat Chimaev. The UFC president claimed that the Swedish sensation is different from any other fighter he has ever seen.
Dana White further stated that although he's been in the business for years and has seen a lot of greats come and go, he hasn't come across anyone as special as Khamzat Chimaev in the fight game.
Here is what Dana White had to say regarding Borz after his 17-second win, as quoted ESPN MMA:
What's next in store for Khamzat Chimaev?
In all honesty, even UFC president Dana White doesn't know what plans he has in store for Khamzat Chimaev, especially after the performance he put up at UFC Vegas 11.
Chimaev is reportedly set for a clash against Demian Maia for his next fight. However, White claimed that the Swedish fighter could end up fighting once before eventually squaring up against Maia.
For his next Octagon outing, Khamzat Chimaev is expected to drop down to his natural weight class of 170 and compete at Welterweight against the veteran Demian Maia. The Swedish fighter has been seamlessly going back-and-forth between 170 and 185 and seems to be completely comfortable in fighting at both Welterweight and Middleweight.