Chimaev’s most recent win came against middleweight contender Kevin Holland in a catchweight bout. Despite his easy victory, he was heavily criticized for missing weight.
However, for his next bout, Chimaev will move up to the middleweight division, where he is set to face one of the top contenders.
The highly anticipated move has finally been confirmed by UFC President, Dana White.
“Yeah, he will fight at middleweight. And yes. I mean, he is in the position where he should be fighting, you know, top3 guys in the world.” White told reporters at UFC 286 Media Day.
Chimaev has been making waves in the MMA world and has quickly risen through the UFC rankings. With his aggressive wrestling skills, the 28-year-old has remained undefeated in all of his 12 matches.
Moving up to middleweight will not be new for Chimaev as he is a natural middleweight and has had several matches at 185 pounds.
Although UFC President Dana White isn’t a fan of stars missing weight, he is confident that Chimaev will compete at his best in the middleweight division.
Many fans believe that former champion Robert Whittaker could be Chimaev’s next opponent. Chimaev himself has shown interest in facing Whittaker and has called him out on social media.
It would undoubtedly be an exciting match, with Chimaev’s aggressive wrestling skills and Whittaker’s striking ability.