"I wanted to spar with him but he ran away" - Khamzat Chimaev recounts the time Leon Edwards came to his gym

Leon Edwards (left), Khamzat Chimaev (right) [Images Courtesy: @leonedwardsmma @khamzat_chimaev on Instagram]

Khamzat Chimaev has revealed what happened when Leon Edwards trained at the same gym as 'Borz' before he was signed to the UFC.

According to Chimaev, Edwards 'ran away' and refused to spar with him when asked.

Leon Edwards and Khamzat Chimaev have had multiple scheduled fights fall through, but 'Borz' is hoping for another rebooking in 2022. The welterweight prospect recently made a triumphant UFC return after submitting Li Jingliang.

During an interview with Hustle MMA, Chimaev stated that Leon Edwards was the one welterweight he would most like to face next. When asked why, he stated the following:

"How can I put it. He was in our gym. I wanted to spar with him. But he ran away. When I wasn't in the UFC. I offered to spar, he wouldn't even spar with me. And he said: 'In the future, maybe, we'll see.' When the fight was scheduled for the first time, he had Covid, and then I had my own problems. Now we are back - I challenged him, and he said he wants to fight Usman. And Usman isn't going to fight for 6-7 months. So is Edwards just going to sit around? I don't think so. I don't know, he's a weird dude too."

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Khamzat Chimaev on a potential fight with Nate Diaz

Another name recently linked to Khamzat Chimaev is Nate Diaz. UFC president Dana White has repeatedly hinted at a potential matchup between the two, despite the fight making little sense in terms of divisional rankings.

Nate Diaz seems unimpressed by this Khamzat Chimaev talk. https://t.co/aiw2TRw8rz

When asked about his thoughts on a potential bout with Diaz, as well as the pre-fight buildup and press conferences, Khamzat Chimaev stated:

"I would be hyped up from that. To see such an anchovy sitting nearby. He's been fighting since the 70s. And I, born in 1994, come along and beat up an old man and went home."

You can check out the full interview with Khamzat Chimaev below: