"Short flight to London for both of them" - John Kavanagh calls for a fight between Khamzat Chimaev and Gunnar Nelson at UFC London in March
John Kavanagh has suggested UFC sensation Khamzat Chimaev could fight his student Gunnar Nelson. Kavanagh noted the matchup could take place at a UFC London fight card in March 2022.
The MMA coach took to Twitter to heap praise upon the Chechnya-born Swedish fighter, Khamzat Chimaev. John Kavanagh’s tweet read as follows:
“its been very interesting watching the rise of the uber talented and charismatic @KChimaev. @ufc is coming to London in March. as a fan i'd love to see him fight @GunniNelson. short flight to london for both of them....what you guys think? @seanshelby @HalliNelson”
its been very interesting watching the rise of the uber talented and charismatic @KChimaev . @ufc is coming to London in March. as a fan i'd love to see him fight @GunniNelson . short flight to london for both of them....what you guys think? @seanshelby @HalliNelson
As of this writing, neither Khamzat Chimaev nor Gunnar Nelson responded to John Kavanagh’s suggestion. Nelson is a widely revered BJJ stalwart who’s been part of the UFC welterweight division since 2012. He’s a longtime training partner of UFC icon and MMA legend Conor McGregor.
Gunnar Nelson trains in Iceland as well as at SBG Ireland under the tutelage of John Kavanagh. The Icelandic fighter’s most recent octagon appearance was a unanimous decision loss against Gilbert Burns at UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Cannonier in September 2019.
He hasn’t competed in a professional MMA bout since. However, Kavanagh’s latest tweets are likely an indication that Nelson could be looking to return to the octagon in 2022.
Khamzat Chimaev has his sights set on the UFC welterweight title
Gunnar Nelson and Khamzat Chimaev compete in the UFC welteweight division. The 27-year-old has been touted by many as a future UFC champion. He’s fought at both welterweight and middleweight in the UFC. ‘Borz’ is no stranger to Conor McGregor or the Irishman's team.
Khamzat Chimaev had purportedly traveled all the way to Ireland to beat up ‘Notorious’ in the lead-up to the McGregor's fight against Chimaev’s Russian compatriot Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Nevertheless, Conor McGregor recently praised Khamzat Chimaev whilst taking a jibe at Nurmagomedov. While McGregor and Nurmagomedov are bitter rivals, ‘Borz’ had his own issues with 'The Eagle'.
Chimaev buried the hatchet with Nurmagomedov earlier this year, though, highlighting they’re Muslim brothers and he holds no ill will towards the Dagestani MMA stalwart.
Irrespective of Khamzat Chimaev’s history with Conor McGregor, it appears unlikely the Chechen fighter will next face McGregor’s teammate Gunnar Nelson. That’s primarily due to Chimaev being considered a top UFC welterweight.
Meanwhile, reigning UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman is rumored to defend his title in a rematch against Leon Edwards next. The UFC is reportedly working on a fight between Khamzat Chimaev and former welterweight title challenger Gilbert Burns. These fights haven’t been officially confirmed.
That said, many believe Khamzat Chimaev is likely one win from a welterweight title shot.
"EVERYBODY! I COME HERE FOR EVERYBODY! KILL EVERYBODY! I'M THE CHAMP!"
@KChimaev wakes up and ALWAYS chooses violence 😰 #UFC267 https://t.co/7e7z1lrLBc