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Khamzat Chimaev, the undefeated two-division threat, has taken to social media to dispute UFC President Dana White’s claims that his hiatus from the octagon is due to personal reasons. Chimaev’s return fight hasn’t been booked, and White has previously stated that the Swede is dealing with personal issues, which is why he hasn’t fought.
“That’s on him, though. He’s got stuff going on in his personal life. That’s not because we’re not getting him a fight. Obviously, you know how it goes here. I talk about this all the time, we have to get guys three fights a year. If we don’t get guys three fights a year, we have to pay them. The only way that wouldn’t happen is if they have personal stuff going on,” White said to TSN about Chimaev.
It seems that Chimaev is ready to return and is hoping to get booked soon. However, it remains uncertain who to believe.
Chimaev’s response was clear:
“I have no problems with fights, if they gave me a fight, I would have fought a long time ago…why do I train so much if there is no fight, I don’t understand.”
Chimaev is currently 12-0 and coming off an impressive submission win over Holland. Before that, he beat Gilbert Burns by decision and also holds notable wins over Li Jingliang and Gerald Meerschaert. His remarkable start in the UFC has made him a hot commodity, and there have been talks of him facing Paulo Costa in Abu Dhabi in October.
Former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman recently expressed interest in facing Chimaev, but White turned the idea down – unless it’s at middleweight. However, Chimaev said the weight class he competes in next will be up to him:
“If I want to fight 77 if I want to fight 84 I decide.”
White’s concern about Chimaev missing the welterweight mark by 7.5 pounds for his originally scheduled bout against Nate Diaz at UFC 279 is understandable. This led to a shuffle in the lineup and Chimaev drawing Holland instead in a catchweight bout. However, Chimaev is ready to take on any top contender or champion, regardless of weight class. He specifically name-dropped UFC middleweight champ Israel Adesanya, welterweight champ Leon Edwards, Belal Muhammad, Colby Covington, Robert Whittaker, and Usman.
Chimaev’s tweets make it clear that he is eager to return to the octagon and that he is ready to take on any opponent. His recent performances have shown that he is a force to be reckoned with and that he is capable of beating some of the best fighters in the world.
Whether his next fight is at 170 or 185 pounds, fans are eager to see him back in action.
It remains to be seen what the future holds for Chimaev and whether White’s claims about his issues are true. However, one thing is certain – Chimaev is ready to fight and is determined to continue his impressive run in the UFC.