Khamzat Chimaev is a name on everyone’s lips ahead of the latest middleweight title fight.
The undefeated Russian phenom seemingly earned his shot at 185lb gold by submitting Robert Whittaker at UFC 308 in October – now he’s waiting in the wings to see how Dricus du Plessis vs Sean Strickland 2 plays out.
On Sunday, in Sydney, Australia the middleweight duo will rematch for the title in the UFC 312 main event.
Dana White has now revealed what will be next for du Plessis and Strickland if they win this weekend.
Dana White fields questions about Khamzat Chimaev
Du Plessis and Strickland traded insults at a wild UFC 312 pre-fight press conference on Thursday.
During the event, the UFC boss was asked two key questions about Khamzat Chimaev. Firstly, will he be in attendance at the Qudos Bank Arena this weekend? And secondly, will he face the winner of the UFC 312 headliner?
“I don’t know anything about him being here,” White responded.
“As far as I know he’s not going to be at the event, no.”
He added: “And, obviously, he’s in line [for a title shot].”
UFC fans are delighted to get confirmation that Chimaev will finally get a shot at a world title in 2025.
Nassourdine Imavov will be one of the only people disappointed to hear the news about ‘Borz’.
After knocking out Israel Adseanya last weekend, Imavov hoped he’d be able to face the UFC 312 winner.
Can Khamzat Chimaev fight in the US?
White recently moved to quash rumors about Chimaev being unable to fight in the United States.
Chimaev has a long-standing relationship with the Head of the Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, who is currently under sanction by the United States for human rights abuses.
Over the years, the 14-0 star has struggled to attain a visa to fight in the USA – but White insists that won’t be a problem after Chimaev’s recent relocation to the United Arab Emirates.
“Don’t listen to any of that bulls—,” the MMA mogul responded to a question regarding Chimaev struggling to enter the USA after UFC Saudi Arabia. “He’ll get in the United States. I’m very confident that we can get him into the country.”