Statement needed; statement delivered. Khamzat Chimaev put on an incredible performance at UFC 308 this past weekend as he finished former champion Robert Whittaker in the very first round.
The bone-crushing victory out in Abu Dhabi now puts Khamzat Chimaev firmly in the middleweight title picture; but could the undefeated ‘Borz’ leapfrog the likes of Sean Strickland in the race to face the South African champion next?
Khamzat Chimaev advised to ‘sit out and wait’ for winner of DDP vs Strickland
Khamzat Chimaev entered UFC 308 as the #13 ranked middleweight in the world and following his submission win over Robert Whittaker, is expected to find himself in the Top 5 come Tuesday’s update.
Whilst most fans expect the next title fight to be contested between Dricus Du Plessis and former champion Sean Strickland, there is a very real possibility that the undefeated ‘Borz’ could be fighting for UFC gold in early 2025.
Even Dana White was forced to admit that he was unsure as to who would get the nod as he stated at the post-fight press conference: “That’s a good question. Call me on Tuesday.”
Du Plessis didn’t help matters either, teasing that the Khamzat fight could be made next when he re-tweeted a post that read “This is the fight” in response to Ben Askren calling for “Chimaev vs DDP ASAP!”
Yet for every UFC fan wanting Chimaev to get the jump on Strickland, there’s another who wants him to sit out and wait for the winner of that highly anticipated title rematch, including some very high-profile names.
Veteran coach Din Thomas explained on the UFC 308 post-show, via ESPN MMA, that he’d prefer to see Chimaev sit out on the sidelines in the hope of building the promotion for his eventual title shot.
“Me personally, I think that he waits for the title, I think he lets the dust settle between Strickland and Du Plessis… Go to that fight, be prepared to talk a bunch of trash from the outside, jump in the cage if you have to – but I think he waits for the winner of that and calls them out right there.”
Former interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier agreed that Chimaev was in the title mix but admitted that he’d like to see ‘Borz’ win one more fight if he is to leapfrog so many top contenders.
“How long would that wait be, because he’s already been on the shelf for a little bit, [and] I’d like to see more consistency… Maybe [he needs] one more win, then the title shot.
“There are a lot of guys ahead of him that are interesting fights, I just need to see him more regularly in the octagon, I need to see more.”
Of course, it was down to the legendary Chael Sonnen to explain what many fans believe to be the most likely outcome: “Chimaev’s next fight is for the championship, but the next championship fight isn’t necessarily Chimaev.
“I think we should probably go ahead with Strickland vs Du Plessis, but you keep Chimeev ready, you have him licensed [since] illnesses and injuries happen all the time.”
Ahead of Tuesday’s shakeup, there are five middleweights ranked ahead of Chimaev who are on winning streaks, those being Anthony Hernandez (#12), Jack Hermansson (#11), Roman Dolidze (#9), Caio Borralho (#5), and Nassourdine Imavov (#4).
Only two of those athletes are in the title conversation, Borralho and Imavov, but as aptly pointed out by Sonnen, neither has been calling for a fight with the undefeated phenom.
“I do believe that if he waits, he has now proven that he’s the number one contender… When the boys stand back in the locker room and say ‘Please, come on through,’ – that’s when you have a number one contender, [and] I don’t think Chimaev’s getting called out.”
What do you think – does Chimaev deserve to leapfrog Strickland to face DDP next, or should he wait for the winner of that middleweight title rematch?