Following a relatively quiet period, Chimaev recently dropped from the #3 rank in the official welterweight rankings. In his last Octagon appearance at UFC 279, Chimaev co-headlined the event and showcased his dominance by submitting Kevin Holland in the opening round with a D’Arce.
Chimaev has also engaged in a war of words with Kamaru Usman, the former undisputed welterweight champion. These verbal exchanges have further fueled the anticipation surrounding Chimaev’s return.
Dana White shot down this rumor saying that Usman showed up at his door for the contract -but added that UFC isn’t interested in catchweight matchups indicating that the brass still has a big problem with the colossal weight miss that almost derailed UFC 279.
“I think that possibility it’s a fight that Usman wants that’s no secret. Usman literally came to the office to lobby for that fight. I told him I love him. Usman is one of the best guys we’ve ever worked with. I love working with the guy, you know?”
“Look at all the things he’s accomplished. I don’t do catch weights, don’t do it, you know? So you know how Khamzat is. If you talk s**t, the Khamzat out, it’s going to go right out it with you and doesn’t care who he fights and all that stuff.”
“So I don’t know, we obviously we have we’ve been making a lot of announcements lately. We haven’t made that announcement yet because we don’t have a fight done yet. But we’re working on stuff for Khamzat .”
UFC president Dana White previously hinted that “personal stuff” had hindered Chimaev’s ability to compete under the organization’s banner. Chimaev himself denied these claims and asserted his full dedication to his combat sports career. Former UFC title challenger Darren Till stated that Chimaev is focused on his preparations for a potential matchup with Paulo Costa.
Khamzat Chimaev is rumored to be returning to the Octagon at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Amidst the anticipation surrounding his comeback, Chimaev’s training partner Darren Till suggested a potential showdown between Chimaev and former middleweight title challenger, Paulo Costa.
Darren Till took to Twitter to express his confidence in Chimaev’s abilities. He tweeted:
However, Costa has already been scheduled to make his Octagon return before Chimaev’s expected comeback. Costa was unhappy with the prolonged wait until October. Therefore, he secured a bout against Ikram Aliskerov at UFC 291 on July 29 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Before his victory over Kevin Holland, Chimaev had won against former title challenger Gilbert Burns in Jacksonville, Florida. He won the match in a closely fought unanimous decision victory.
As Khamzat Chimaev prepares for his highly anticipated Octagon return at UFC 294, fans eagerly await a potential clash between him and Paulo Costa.