Khamzat Chimaev, the undefeated welterweight contender, has once again called his shot at division kingpin Kamaru Usman, requesting the UFC’s finest pound-for-pound fighter to let him know when he is ready to fight for the title.
Khamzat Chimaev, a Chechen native, won a close, back-and-forth unanimous decision win against one-time title challenger and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace Gilbert Burns on the main card of UFC 273 in Jacksonville, Florida last month to claim the #3 spot in the official welterweight pile.
Chimaev won his 11th straight fight professionally, and his fifth under the UFC banner since joining the organization from Brave CF in July 2020.
Khamzat Chimaev Was Initially Linked With A Title Eliminator Against Colby Covington.
Following his victory over Sanford MMA legend Burns, Chimaev was immediately linked with a potential title-eliminator against former interim gold holder, with UFC president Dana White expressing interest in booking the two on an ABC-televised card.
With no progress on a fight with Covington – or a speculated July matchup against Stockton veteran Nate Diaz – Chimaev temporarily shifted his focus to championship-wearing duo Usman and middleweight best Israel Adesanya.
On his official Twitter account, Khamzat Chimaev took another shot at Usman, posting a side-by-side photo of himself and the Nigerian with the the caption – , “Tell me when you’re ready @USMAN84kg (Kamaru Usman)” Khamzat Chimaev tweeted.
tell me when you’re ready @USMAN84kg pic.twitter.com/W3nrdJqkMB
— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) May 16, 2022
Chimaev had already defeated Li Jingliang, Gerald Meerschaert, Rhys McKee, and John Philips in a series of one-sided victories.
For Usman, the Trevor Wittman trainee has been all but penciled in to defend his undisputed title against past-foe, Leon Edwards, this year in his next outing under the UFC banner, but a planned July return has been stalled due to recent surgery to repair a ligament injury in his hand.
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