UFC president Dana White doesn’t know whether or not Khamzat Chimaev’s next opponent will be ranked.
Chimaev has quickly garnered the attention of MMA fans and media members. The Chechnya born fighter, now residing in Sweden, has left many in awe of his fighting style. Many have said he’s a more aggressive version of Khabib Nurmagomedov. Some believe people are jumping the gun on Chimaev but he appears to be on a fast track under the UFC banner.
Dana White Talks Khamzat Chimaev’s Next Opponent
TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter spoke to White and asked if a top-15 ranked UFC welterweight is next for Chimaev (h/t BJPenn.com).
“I don’t know. I don’t know if that’s the case but we’re working on that right now. This guy wants to fight every weekend. He wants to fight every weekend. I love guys like that. So I gotta figure that side out first,” White said of Chimaev.
The first two UFC bouts for Chimaev were a mere 10 days apart. He submitted John Phillps in his promotional debut on July 15, scoring a second-round submission victory. He was back on July 25, this time stopping Rhys McKee via first-round TKO.
Chimaev has already been calling out some big names. “Borz” certainly isn’t short on confidence. He recalled a story where he was sent back to Sweden after attempting to travel to Ireland to find and fight Conor McGregor. He’s also expressed his belief that Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone would be an “easy win” for him.
Up to this point, Chimaev has a perfect pro MMA record of 8-0. While some feel he’s already prepared for elite competition, the fact remains he’s still young as a pro. While the UFC brass is eager to get Chimaev back inside the Octagon, they may not be as gung-ho about matching him up with best 170-pounders quite yet.
