UFC welterweight contender Khamzat Chimaev has ambitious goals for 2023.
Since defeating Kevin Holland via submission in September, Chimaev has been sidelined.
Although his victory in the first round was predictable, it wasn’t without controversy. Originally, Chimaev was supposed to face Nate Diaz at UFC 279.
Since the Chechen missed weight by almost an entire division, he instead faced Kevin Holland.
Dana White and UFC’s staff suggested a switch to middleweight as a result of the significant weight miss.
Chimaev wasn’t sure which division he sees a future in. There were talks of him making welterweight (170lbs) to take on Colby Covington.
Khamzat Chimaev is prepared to participate in both weight divisions in the end. The Chechen outlined his goals for the next year in an interview with ESPN.
Chimaev claimed,
“Before, I was thinking if Kamaru Usman wins his fight, I will fight with him next. But he lost. And I was thinking if [Israel] Adesanya won his fight, who’s he going to fight? There’s only me.”
“ And he lost as well. Now [Pereira and Adesanya] want to rematch in March, I don’t know what they’re going to do.”
“So I said to Sean Shelby and Dana as well, I’m ready for Pereira in Brazil. Directly after that, March, if Colby wants to fight, I’d take my title and I’d go down to 170 and fight Colby as well.”
Chimaev added,
“Sean Shelby, I spoke with him [about Pereira] and he said first, ‘Yeah, let’s go brother, we’ll do it,’” Chimaev said. “Then I don’t know what’s happening. He said, ‘OK brother, we’ll go Colby first.’ So maybe Colby, for me it doesn’t matter.”
“Colby isn’t talking about the fight or about me, so you know how Colby is doing when he fights somebody, he doesn’t stop talking, so I don’t know. We will see.”
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