After UFC 279, Khamzat Chimaev’s future is a lot more uncertain than it was before. The egregious weight miss that Chimaev committed at the September pay-per-view event resulted in him being disqualified from the main event bout against Nate Diaz and caused a reorganization of the top three fights on the card.
Again, Chimaev Had Triumphed Decisively
This was even though Chimaev had just scored another dominant victory. Chimaev came in at 178.5 pounds for a fight that was supposed to take place in the welterweight class, which was 7.5 pounds above the limit.
As a result, Chimaev was subsequently pushed into a catchweight fight against Kevin Holland as the co-main event.
Chimaev’s future is still up in the air, according to UFC President Dana White, who was questioned about the organization’s intentions for the two-division threat after the season finale of the Contender Series on Tuesday.
White responded that the company does not currently have any plans for Chimaev.
“There are 170 and 185 pounds, and there was a great debate today at matchmaker about whether or not he can reach 170 pounds, and whether or not we should even let him make 170 pounds again,” White added.
He’s Dominated at Welterweight
“At the moment, they are the only topics that have been brought forward for discussion,” Chimaev has been one of the mixed martial arts’ most fascinating competitors ever since he made his debut with the UFC in July of 2020.
He has plowed through the competition at both the welterweight and the middleweight divisions.
Chimaev prevailed through a unanimous decision over one of the top five welterweight contenders, Gilbert Burns, at UFC 273, which took place in April of this year.
The fight was a candidate for Fight of the Year. His toughest opponent to date was Gilbert Burns.
White does not care where Chimaev battles next; all he cares about is Chimaev’s game plan for himself and how he intends to execute it. White said, “I’m in the thick of it all.”
“What exactly does he seek to accomplish? Where does he want to go, and what is he hoping to accomplish with his life?
Does he want to go to 170 and try to win the championship at that weight, or does he want to get to 185 and try to win the title there? Later on, White elaborated by saying, “That was the main point of contention throughout today’s matchmaking meeting.”
“One man stated one thing, while another guy said something completely different. After that, I questioned, “What exactly does he want?”
Nickal Is a Promising Employee
Someone has to go in there and find out what it is that he wants to accomplish, and then we need to figure out what it is, and then we need to fight.
One possibility that won’t be considered: Bo Nickal is a prospect of high value.
After earning yet another convincing victory on Tuesday’s round of the Contender Series, the three-time Division I national wrestling champion issued a challenge to Chimaev and clinched his seat in the UFC.
White wasted no time in putting an end to such speculation. White admonished the group, saying, “Let’s not go wild here.”
It seems as if Chimaev has set his sights on maintaining his weight at 170 pounds. On Thursday, he tweeted that he would want to face Colby Covington, who has already challenged for the UFC belt twice.
