Some fresh Khamzat Chimaev next fight news should be coming soon, after he moved his record to 12-0 at UFC 279 last year. With his stock as high as ever and the option of fighting at two different weight classes in play, the booking possibilities are endless for MMA’s fastest-rising star.
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Who will Khamzat Chimaev next fight be against?
By badly missing weight for his planned UFC 279 main event against Nate Diaz, the UFC may be hesitant to put Chimaev in a major fight at welterweight any time soon. He’ll likely need to fight again at 170 pounds to prove he can be trusted to make weight or move up permanently to 185 pounds.
That is why matchups with Shavkat Rakhmonov, Israel Adesanya, or Kamaru Usman are possible next.
- Nomad: Rakhmonov is one of the hottest fighters in the weight class and is starting to have just as much trouble getting fights as Chimaev. If “Borz” is willing to fight anyone, a clash with the fellow Eastern European would be a highly-anticipated bout between two top rising stars.
- Last Stylebender: While it seems far-fetched, with limited options that would be worthy of a PPV main event spot, a Chimaev vs. Adesanya fight would certainly be a massive draw. And UFC has shown in the past they are not afraid to book title fights without top contenders.
- The Nightmare: The former welterweight king is one of the few fighters that has actually called for a bout with Chimaev. However, his idea of a catchweight bout doesn’t seem to interest UFC boss Dana White at the moment, however, that could always change.
Khamzat Chimaev vs Kevin Holland recap
Chimaev blew a major opportunity in missing weight and not facing Diaz. The matchup was favorable and could have been a massive coming-out party for the Russian. Nevertheless, replacement opponent Kevin Holland — a man who was given a far better chance by odds makers — ended up having the same fate as eight of Chimaev’s previous victims and saw his night end in the first round.
What happened: From the opening seconds, “Borz” was on Holland like a dog with a bone. Dominantly holding on to his food and not letting it escape. While Holland did his best to separate from his opponent’s grasp, the eventual end of the bout was just a mere formality in the continued rise of Chimaev.
The fallout: After two and half minutes of defending himself against the grappling onslaught of his foe, “Trailblazer” was forced to tap to a brabo choke with 2:13 left in the opening round of his fight against Chimaev. Once again, the 28-year-old proved how dominant a force he can be, and for the second straight fight, he showed it against a highly respected talent in the sport.
The roadmap: The options seem endless for Chimaev, however, just like it before this last booking it continues to be very difficult for the promotion to get opponents for “Borz.” Plus, his weight miss hasn’t helped matters either because it is unclear which weight he will compete at. It would be a sad moment in the sport if Chimaev is competing by the summer.
What makes Khamzat Chimaev so popular?
The Chechen Crusher: Over 10 cage fights, the Brave CF veteran has faced minimal challenges as he has risen up the ranks to become one of the most recognizable names in the sport, and one of Dana White’s favorite employees.
- Khamzat Chimaev record: 12-0 (6 knockouts, 5 submissions)
- Khamzat Chimaev height: 6-foot-2
- Before he reached the Octagon, Chimaev won his first six bouts. All but two went into the second round, and in that rare instance against Mzwandile Hlongwa, he only needed over a minute to lock in a fight-ending brabo choke.
- “Borz” became a favorite of his new boss by being down for a fight any time and anywhere. His first four matchups in the Octagon have been split between the welterweight and middleweight divisions. And his first two fights in the promotion also took place just 10 days apart.
The Russian McGregor: Trash talk and callouts on social media is the name of the game in the UFC today. And despite English not being his first language, Chimaev has become quite adept at using his Twitter fingers.
- The native of Sweden has become an avid user of his Twitter account, using it to challenge many of the top fighters in the UFC welterweight division. Including Leon Edwards, Gilbert Burns, and Colby Covington.
- During a November 2021 rampage of tweets, Chimaev sought out MMA fights with retired UFC legends Brock Lesnar and Georges St-Pierre, and a wrestling match with former two-division champion Daniel Cormier. Only Cormier answered, and the former Olympian found the challenge quite entertaining.
- Chimaev has also made headlines in new training videos. Dominating world-class talents like Bellator welterweight champion Yaroslav Amosov and UFC veteran Darren Till.
Khamzat Chimaev’s net worth
The measure of a fighter’s success is the dollars and cents they stack up from a career of professional fisticuffs. It is still early days for Chimaev, but his net worth is estimated to be over $294,000.