"I would say a title fight but..." - Michael Bisping names "f***ing good" matchup for Khamzat Chimaev's next octagon appearance
Michael Bisping recently discussed the potential next opponents for undefeated UFC sensation Khamzat Chimaev.
Speaking on the latest edition of his Believe You Me podcast, Bisping suggested that a title fight against welterweight champion Leon Edwards would be the ideal next step for 'Borz' should he pursue the continuation of his run at 170 pounds.
However, considering that the trilogy between Edwards and Kamaru Usman is seemingly in the works, 'The Count' proposed a clash between Chimaev and Colby Covington instead.
"Who does he fight next? For Khamzat, if it is 170, I don't know. I would say a title fight but Leon Edwards is probably going to fight Usman. Who else is there, Colby? Colby Covington would be f***ing good! That would be amazing."
Watch Michael Bisping discuss potential opponents for Chimaev below:
Khamzat Chimaev is coming off a dominant first-round submission win over Kevin Holland at UFC 279. With the performance, 'Borz' picked up his sixth win under the UFC banner and extended his perfect MMA record to 12-0.
Will Khamzat Chimaev continue to fight at welterweight after missing weight at UFC 279?
Khamzat Chimaev hit the scales at 178.5 pounds for his originally scheduled UFC 279 headliner against Nate Diaz. As a result, 'Borz' ended up facing Kevin Holland in a catchweight contest in the co-main event.
The Chechen-born Swedish star is now faced with the question of whether he will be able to make the welterweight limit going forward. During a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, Chimaev's coach Andreas Michael addressed the situation and stated that they will continue to pursue a welterweight run considering that 'Borz' isn't far from the title.
However, he noted that they are currently planning for Chimaev to have some meaningful bouts at 185lbs as well.
"Of course, he’s been having a hard time making weight, but he’s always made weight. The point of the thing is that we’re going to make it easier and fight at middleweight some of the fights, but we’re game for welterweight as well. We’re not going to lose our ranking there, hopefully, because we’re so close to a title fight there."
He added:
"Once we take the belt there, we’re going to pursue the middleweight division with all our hearts. Right now, some fights are going to be at middleweight, some are going to be at middleweight, worthwhile fights. But that’s up to the UFC, of course, that’s not up to us."
Watch Andreas Michael discuss plans for Khamzat Chimaev's future below: