In an electrifying turn of events leading up to UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 21, Khamzat Chimaev has made it abundantly clear that he’s on a mission to secure a shot at the middleweight championship. Chimaev, who previously had a stint in the welterweight division, believes he’s just one victory away from challenging for the gold.
The road to the title begins with his upcoming clash against Paulo Costa, marking Chimaev’s return to the middleweight division. His welterweight aspirations were momentarily derailed when he missed weight last September, prompting the UFC to reshuffle the top fights of UFC 279.
Chimaev has been out of action for over a year, and during his absence, the middleweight throne saw a series of transitions. Israel Adesanya, the former champion, lost and regained the title, only to surrender it once again to Sean Strickland at UFC 293. With Strickland now reigning supreme, the race for contendership appears wide open, and Chimaev is confident that a victory over Costa will earn him a title shot.
“It’s my time now,” asserted Chimaev in his YouTube vlog. “I’m going to smash that guy, Costa. After that, whether it’s Izzy, Strickland, or anyone else, we’re coming for them.”
He didn’t stop there, issuing a direct warning to Sean Strickland, the current champion. “Strickland, I’m coming for you too. You work hard, you deserve it. You’re always in the gym. Now you have the belt. You have a great team and a great coach. I’ve trained with you. You deserve that belt. You’ve been active, taking on all comers. I don’t know why the UFC is hesitating. Give me that chance. They’re hiding that belt from me. But like I said, when I finish off everyone, they’ll have no choice but to give me that belt.”
Despite his infamous weigh-in blunder, Chimaev delivered a sensational performance at UFC 279 by swiftly submitting Kevin Holland in an impromptu 180-pound catchweight bout. In his brief middleweight tenure, he also submitted John Phillips in his promotional debut and knocked out Gerald Meerschaert in just 17 seconds.
Although Chimaev’s primary experience lies in the welterweight division, he is confident that his transition back to middleweight won’t affect his performance adversely. He explained, “It’s a different weight class, different power. We eat differently; we’re not hungry anymore. At 77 kg, I was just eating rice, rice, and fish, rice, and chicken. It was crazy. Now, I have more training than before, more food, more energy, different power, different energy. It’s all good.”
Concluding his thoughts, Chimaev stated, “I fought Gerald Meerschaert in that weight class, and I smashed that guy with one punch. That’s my real power. The guys don’t understand it, but it’s waiting for them.”
