Khamzat Chimaev adds confusion to his weight class despite Dana White's middleweight claims
Last time we saw Khamzat Chimaev in action in the UFC, he faced an unexpected opponent after some last gasp changes.
‘Borz’ had initially been booked to face Nate Diaz at 170lbs in the headline bout of UFC 279, but when he missed weight by 7.5lbs, the event saw a series of changes.
UFC 279 weigh-in results: Khamzat Chimaev misses weight by 7.5 pounds for main event bout vs. Nate Diaz (@AlexanderKLee) mmafighting.com/2022/9/9/23344… https://t.co/6WAeg3EN2W
In the end, Chimaev faced Kevin Holland in a 180lbs catchweight bout and submitted him in the first round.
‘Borz’ has not fought since, but UFC president Dana White has not been shy in stating that his next bout will be at middleweight.
Dana White: Khamzat Chimaev’s next bout will be middleweight, ‘should be fighting top-3 guys’ mmafighting.com/2023/3/19/2364… https://t.co/dbspTzFzR5
However, Chimaev himself doesn’t seem all that convinced. In a recent tweet, he seemed to take a shot at White, suggesting that he’s the only one who will decide which weight he’ll be competing at.
“If I want to fight 77 if I want to fight 84 I decide.”
if I want to fight 77 if I want to fight 84 I decide 💯
The chances are that this barb is a reference to a recent suggestion by White that a fight between Chimaev and Kamaru Usman could only go ahead “under one condition”. That condition is that the fight cannot take place at a catchweight.
Kamaru Usman vs. Khamzat Chimaev?
Dana White tells @jimrome it's possible, but not at a catchweight. Usman would have to move up to 185 pounds for it to happen. https://t.co/v1BWfKQvzJ
Most recently, Khamzat Chimaev has also taken to Twitter to claim that his absence is down to the UFC, not to him, as he’s done “many training camps” without a bout coming to fruition.
Khamzat Chimaev next fight: has ‘Borz’ fought at 185lbs before?
Dana White has suggested that Khamzat Chimaev’s next fight in the UFC will be at middleweight, despite ‘Borz’ currently being ranked at No.3 in the welterweight division.
If this is the case, though, it won’t be the Chechnyan fighter’s first go-around at 185lbs.
Back in 2020, after winning his first two fights in the octagon in quick succession, Chimaev took a relatively late notice fight with veteran Gerald Meerschaert at 185lbs.
Due to the move up in weight, many fans expected ‘GM3’ to provide the prospect with a stern test. Unfortunately for him, that wasn’t the case.
Chimaev needed just 17 seconds and a single punch to knock Meerschaert out, stunning fans around the world.
ARE YOU SERIOUS!? #UFCVegas11 https://t.co/ihvYCLVTYX
This win, coupled with his easy victory over Kevin Holland last September has made fans confident that ‘Borz’ could adjust to life at 185lbs with little to no issues.