"It wasn't 100% sure" - Khamzat Chimaev discloses if he was offered Leon Edwards title fight at UFC 300
Khamzat Chimaev recently disclosed if there was any truth to the rumors he was offered to fight Leon Edwards for the welterweight title at UFC 300.
During the UFC 298 broadcast last weekend, Dana White officially confirmed that UFC 300 would be headlined by Alex Pereira defending the light heavyweight title against the returning Jamahal Hill.
Prior to his announcement, Edwards had been expected to feature as the headliner on the card but no such bout came to fruition. The UFC president also added that 'Rocky' had been offered and said 'Yes' to three different opponents but they all declined.
Ariel Helwani later reported on The MMA Hour that the three fights offered to Edwards were Chimaev, Shavkat Rakhmonov and Islam Makhachev.
Watch the clip here:
In a recent interview with Fight Club Rush MMA, 'Borz' weighed in on the rumors. He stated that while there certainly talks about him facing Edwards, nothing was set in stone.
The 29-year-old also confirmed he declined the fight as it would have been during Ramadan.
Courtesy of MMA reporter @jedigoodman on X, Chimaev, when asked about facing Edwards, said:
"It wasn't 100% sure, but they talk. My manager said, 'maybe, maybe not.' So, I said... My brother said to me, 'Not in Ramadan.' So after Ramadan we take some time in camp and then we fight anyone."
Check out the tweet here:
Ian Garry open to facing Khamzat Chimaev in potential clash
Ian Garry recently weighed in on his chances should he ever get the opportunity to face Khamzat Chimaev in the octagon.
'The Future' recently extended his undefeated record to 14-0 last weekend when he narrowly defeated Geoff Neal via split-decision. He has been under immense pressure and criticism from fans in recent weeks and was met with a wave of boos by the crowd as the official decision was read.
Prior to his clash with Neal, Garry was interviewed on the mainevent YouTube channel for FOX Sports Australia and asked about potential opponents in the future. During their discussion, he named 'Borz' as a potential opponent, and doesn't believe he would have any issues putting him away. Garry said:
"What's he [Khamzat Chimaev] gonna do? Take me down? Great. Bring it on. Let's go. Bring it on! Let's go! For sure."
He added:
"I'm bigger than he is. I'm 6'3". I'm longer. I'm taller. I'm faster. I'm more vicious on the feet than he is. Great. He has amazing wrestling. He gets tired, though. He gets tired pretty quick, I don't. And the truth is, so what if he takes me down? I'll elbow the skull off him."
Catch Garry's comments regarding Khamzat Chimaev here (4:45):