Undefeated UFC star Khamzat Chimaev’s recent call for a championship opportunity didn’t go down well with many corners of the fanbase…
It looks like a year will pass by between appearances inside the Octagon for Chimaev, whose plans for a quick rise toward UFC gold and title glory across multiple weight classes have taken hit after hit ever since his debut year.
“Borz” announced his arrival as one of the most highly touted prospects in recent memory when he reeled off three wins in three months back in 2020. He’s since competed four times in almost four years, with health issues and reported visa trouble making fights few and far between.
The Chechen athlete most recently got the better of former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman in a short-notice middleweight scrap at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi last October. But his hopes for a possible shot at the belt were dashed when he required hand surgery and subsequently fell ill.
And when he was set to return in a high-profile contest opposite Robert Whittaker in last month’s Saudi Arabia main event, illness once again struck, forcing a late withdrawal.
Despite that, Chimaev seemingly doesn’t think his stock has taken much of a hit in the eyes of the brass, even going as far as to call for a title shot at this October’s Abu Dhabi-held UFC 308 pay-per-view.
MMA Fans React To Chimaev Staking Claim To UFC Title Shot: ‘If He Becomes Champ…Get That Interim Ready’
Having not competed in 2024 thus far and beaten none of the names currently inside the middleweight top 10, Chimaev unsurprisingly came under fire from plenty of fans for his championship demand.
Some made light of the recent crypto coin controversy involving the 13-0 fighter, while others highlighted his history of withdrawals and weight misses when placed in main event positions to suggest he can’t be trusted in a title matchup yet.
