Khamzat Chimaev vs. Colby Covington proposed to determine top contender, Leon Edwards should be third in line
In Ben Askren’s opinion, Khamzat Chimaev should fight in a title eliminator against Colby Covington instead of Leon Edwards getting a rematch against reigning welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.
In a recent interview with Helen Yee, the former ONE Championship and Bellator titleholder was asked about the upcoming Usman vs. Edwards rematch. ‘Funky’ said he’s happy that Edwards got a title shot, but according to him, a fight between Khamzat Chimaev and Colby Covington should determine the top contender:
“I guess I’m happy that Leon Edwards got the title shot, because he has won a lot of fights in a row. That being said, he hasn’t been super active lately... and then, you know, I think Chimaev is probably the one with the most heat... I know his last fight with Gilbert Burns wasn’t as dominating as some people hoped it would be, but Gilbert Burns is a really good opponent..."
Askren continued:
"Colby’s number one and Gilbert Burns is number two. There’s no one besides, uh Colby above, uh, Gilbert Burns to get to. I guess Leon Edwards is probably ranked there somewhere... shouldn’t be above Gilbert Burns, though. Anyway, I’ll tell you, in my mind it’s Marty, Colby, Gilbert, and then Leon in my mind, so I think I would like to see Khamzat fight Colby.”
Watch the full interview below:
Kamaru Usman is scheduled to rematch Leon Edwards in a welterweight title defense at UFC 278. Their previous encounter took place in 2015 at UFC on Fox: dos Anjos vs. Cowboy 2. The Nigerian won that bout via unanimous decision.
Khamzat Chimaev calls out Nate Diaz
‘Borz’ has been very active on social media since his victory over Gilbert Burns at UFC 273. Most recently, he called out Nate Diaz for a fight. The Stockton native has one fight left on his UFC contract and has been trying his best to get it over with, so he can move on and test free agency or possibly try his hand at boxing. However, he's been met with silence from the promotion so far.
Khamzat Chimaev posted on Twitter:
🏼
I want to fight in august, i'm ready @NateDiaz209 let’s do it skinny boy 👊🏼💥
@danawhite ?
@ufc
Later, the Chechen fighter proposed another matchup against Belial Muhammad in October:
August @NateDiaz209
October @bullyb170
👊🏼💥
Khamzat Chimaev has an unblemished record of 11 consecutive wins in professional MMA competition. He’s currently ranked No.3 in the UFC welterweight rankings and is eager to find his way to title contention at the earliest.