Chael Sonnen believes Khamzat Chimaev could be the next UFC champ-champ
Chael Sonnen believes Khamzat Chimaev has the potential to become the next two-division champion in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
While he may only sit at 4-0 in the promotion right now, Chimaev has already spread two wins across both middleweight and welterweight. That, in itself, doesn't serve as enough proof that he can become a champion at either 185 or 170 pounds. However, it certainly highlights how dominant he is given that he's finished all four of his opponents thus far.
Chimaev has made it known that he wants to go after every belt possible. At the same time, he is also yet to face a truly elite member of either division.
Across the history of the UFC, we've seen Randy Couture, BJ Penn, Conor McGregor, Georges St-Pierre, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes and Henry Cejudo capture belts in two weight classes. As per Chael Sonnen, we could be looking at the eighth in Chimaev.
During an interview with The Schmo, Sonnen said:
“I do think that Chimaev has got some really hard work in front of him, but he’s probably the guy, if you’re only giving me one option, he’s probably the guy most likely [to become a double champion].”
Watch Chael Sonnen discuss Khamzat Chimaev's potential below:
When is Khamzat Chimaev fighting again?
Khamzat Chimaev is just a matter of weeks away from making his next appearance inside the octagon, which is set to go down at UFC 273 in Jacksonville, Florida. While two title bouts will headline the pay-per-view, the third fight on the main card has just as much intrigue behind it as Chimaev takes on Gilbert Burns.
This will be the first major challenge Chimaev has faced thus far in his career. It's a high stakes encounter too, as UFC president Dana White has suggested that the winner of this fight will get a title shot.
With that in mind, we can expect the best version of 'Borz' as he attempts to earn his shot at welterweight champ Kamaru Usman's belt.