"He's playing poker or some sh*t" - Khamzat Chimaev names fellow welterweight UFC originally planned to book him against; claims he "disappeared" when asked to fight 'Borz'
Khamzat Chimaev is set to take on Nate Diaz in the main event of UFC 279. Many were surprised when the fight was announced due to the fighters being at different points in their careers.
Khamzat recently shared that another welterweight turned down the opportunity to fight him.
Yes, you read that right.
@KChimaev & @NateDiaz209 are set for your #UFC279 main event 🔥
[ #UFC279 | Sep 10 | @TMobileArena ] https://t.co/hdvIJQShyL
Khamzat Chimaev recently sat down with former double champ and current MMA analyst Daniel Cormier to discuss his first five-round fight. When asked who else he was offered a fight against, the No.3-ranked welterweight singled out one fighter:
"Colby was like - I don't know what he said. He's playing poker or some s**t, you know. This guy disappeared. When I come here - before I come to talk, he was like I didn't fight somebody. Now, I smashed the Gilbert now and everyone disappeared. Now, I'm here, Diaz wants to fight, he's the one who took the fight and we'll fight."
When the main event of UFC 279 was announced, fans accused Colby Covington of ducking Khamzat Chimaev. Chimaev's comments seem to support that claim. Covington has consistently been accused of avoiding top contenders throughout his career. The only ranked welterweights he has faced are Kamaru Usman, twice for the welterweight title, and Jorge Masvidal, who he had personal issues with.
Although Covington has not fought in over six months, UFC President Dana White recently announced that he is due to return to the octagon soon. It will be interesting to see if he will fight a top welterweight contender.
Watch Khamzat Chimaev's full interview with Daniel Cormier below:
Will Khamzat Chimaev receive a title shot with a win?
Less than a month ago, Khamzat Chimaev seemed destined to fight for the belt if he got through Nate Diaz at UFC 279. Unfortunately for Khamzat, Leon Edwards defeated Kamaru Usman at UFC 278.
Daniel Cormier labeled Chimaev the 'biggest loser' of UFC 278, as had Usman retained his belt, a highly anticipated matchup between the two seemed imminent. UFC President Dana White has already announced that a trilogy is likely next, as Usman fought a 'perfect fight'.
Dana White: Kamaru Usman ‘fought the perfect fight’ until he got caught by Leon Edwards, trilogy likely next (@DamonMartin) mmafighting.com/2022/8/21/2331… https://t.co/3pEfiBoDI5
As for Chimaev, he is not concerned with waiting for a trilogy. He has already shared that he would be willing to take another fight. He has even hinting at a potential middleweight title fight suggesting he would like to take on the winner of the UFC 281 main event between Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira.
Khamzat Chimaev isn't worried about having to wait for the Usman and Edwards trilogy. 👀
Source, ESPN MMA: youtube.com/watch?v=pE0QyF… https://t.co/kYHbHDMVuJ