Khamzat Chimaev News

Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 3, 2025

Dricus du Plessis admits he would’ve liked to have been defending his UFC middleweight gold against Khamzat Chimaev this weekend. Du Plessis will instead have a title rematch against the man he defeated for the 185-pound hardware, Sean Strickland. In their first meeting, du Plessis earned a split decision victory. Strickland stood firm in his stance that he wouldn’t take another fight outside of his win over Paulo Costa before getting a chance to reclaim the middleweight title.

Josh Evanoff - January 30, 2025

If Sean Strickland wins UFC middleweight gold again next month, he wants to fight Khamzat Chimaev. ‘Tarzan’ has been out of the cage since a split-decision win over Paulo Costa last June. That victory over the Brazilian was enough for Sean Strickland to earn another crack at middleweight gold. Next month, the former champion will again lock horns with Dricus du Plessis, who handed him a decision loss last January.

Cole Shelton - January 28, 2025

Former UFC champion Luke Rockhold claims he was offered to fight Khamzat Chimaev but the undefeated fighter turned him down. Before Rockhold was booked to fight Paulo Costa in 2022, the former champ says he was offered Chimaev. However, he claimed ‘Borz’ turned him down and he isn’t sure why, but the UFC then pivoted to the Costa fight.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - January 28, 2025

One former UFC titleholder claims that Khamzat Chimaev once turned down a fight with him. Chimaev has been on a tear under the UFC banner. He has a perfect pro MMA record of 14-0 and is coming off the biggest win of his career, submitting ex-UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker in the first round. Many believe Chimaev is the clear choice to challenge the winner of the upcoming title rematch between Dricus du Plessis and Sean Strickland.

Josh Evanoff - January 22, 2025

Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker is healing well from his fight with Khamzat Chimaev. ‘The Reaper’ and ‘Borz’ met in the co-main event of UFC 308 in late October. Back for the first time since scoring a knockout win over Ikram Aliskerov in June, Robert Whittaker hoped to secure a title shot. Meanwhile, Khamzat Chimaev last appeared in the cage last October, scoring a decision victory over Kamaru Usman.

Harry Kettle - January 7, 2025

UFC analyst Chael Sonnen has made it known that he believes Bo Nickal vs Khamzat Chimaev should happen in the future. As we know, Bo Nickal is a very talented fighter. In addition, he’s also exceptionally confident in his abilities. He believes that he will go on to become a world champion in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and it’s not hard to see why. Still, he has a long way to go before achieving that goal, even if most believe he’ll be fast-tracked up through the rankings.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - January 7, 2025

Bo Nickal believes that his wrestling is a cut above Khamzat Chimaev’s. Nickal’s name has been in the spotlight despite only having seven pro MMA fights. Some fans believe a showdown with Chimaev is inevitable, although others are skeptical following Nickal’s recent showing against Paul Craig at UFC 309 back in November. There is still time for Nickal to grow in the sport of MMA, but Chimaev is already on the cusp of championship gold.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 22, 2024

Israel Adesanya has offered an explanation for why he wants to eventually share the Octagon with Khamzat Chimaev. Adesanya and Chimaev have yet to cross paths. “The Last Stylebender” is coming off a failed bid to become a three-time UFC middleweight champion after being submitted by the current titleholder Dricus du Plessis. As for “Borz,” he’s fresh off the biggest victory of his pro MMA career, forcing Robert Whittaker to tap out in the opening frame of their bout back in October.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - November 4, 2024

Renowned American Kickboxing Academy head coach Javier Mendez has some big praise for Khamzat Chimaev. While Chimaev dazzled MMA fans with his red hot UFC start, illnesses halted his momentum. Perhaps mother nature can only hope to contain “Borz,” as he bounced back to deliver the most impressive performance of his fighting career. He injured Robert Whittaker’s bottom teeth to the point where “The Reaper” was forced to tap out as soon as a face crank was applied.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - November 4, 2024

Sean O’Malley’s coach Tim Welch has cleared the air on a recent social media post that was met with backlash. Welch was paying attention to the UFC 308 pay-per-view event. In particular, he was in awe of Khamzat Chimaev’s ability to force a submission on Robert Whittaker as quickly as he did. After the fight, Welch suggested that Bo Nickal might be the only fighter to give “Borz” a run for his money.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - October 31, 2024

Kamaru Usman is on the fence about whether or not Khamzat Chimaev can finish Dricus du Plessis. Chimaev has emerged as possibly the next UFC middleweight title contender. He stunned the MMA world by shoving Robert Whittaker’s bottom teeth in during his first-round submission win at UFC 308. Now, many are wondering if “Borz” has surpassed Sean Strickland in the pecking order at 185 pounds.

Curtis Calhoun - October 30, 2024

UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis addressed the ongoing debate surrounding who should get the next title shot after a wild night at UFC 308. Khamzat Chimaev defeated former titleholder Robert Whittaker by first-round submission in the UFC 308 co-main event last weekend. Chimaev, who is now 2-0 in his middleweight tenure, is on the cusp of getting his shot at UFC gold after a roller coaster last few years.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - October 29, 2024

Daniel Cormier believes that Khamzat Chimaev has eclipsed Sean Strickland in the race for the next UFC middleweight title fight. Chimaev manhandled Robert Whittaker, one of the most respected middleweights in MMA. He forced Whittaker to tap out in the first round due to an injury. “The Reaper” claims his jaw is fine, but his bottom teeth were pushed in.

Harry Kettle - October 29, 2024

UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis has expressed an interest in facing off against top challenger Khamzat Chimaev. Over the course of the last few years, Dricus du Plessis has firmly established himself as the best middleweight in the world. He’s done so by defeating some incredibly high level opponents, including Robert Whittaker, Sean Strickland and Israel Adesanya. The expectation, after his win over the latter, was that he’d battle Strickland in a rematch.

Cole Shelton - October 28, 2024

The UFC was in Abu Dhabi, Dubai on Saturday for a solid UFC 308 fight card. In the main event, Ilia Topuria was defending his featherweight title against Max Holloway. The co-main event saw Robert Whittaker taking on Khamzat Chimaev in a highly-anticipated middleweight bout.

Curtis Calhoun - October 28, 2024

Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland sent a scathing message to Chael Sonnen aimed at UFC 308 winner Khamzat Chimaev immediately after his No. 1 contender fight. Chimaev earned the biggest win of his career by submitting former titleholder Robert Whittaker by face-crank in the UFC 308 co-main event. He remains undefeated in his career and cemented himself as a top middleweight contender with the victory.

Harry Kettle - October 28, 2024

Sean Strickland has sent a message to Khamzat Chimaev regarding who the real number one contender is at middleweight. Last Saturday night, Khamzat Chimaev scored the most impressive win of his career. He defeated Robert Whittaker in stunning fashion, submitting him with an absolutely brutal face crank. In the immediate aftermath of the result, many were declaring that he is the natural number one contender for the UFC middleweight championship.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - October 27, 2024

Khamzat Chimaev has revealed whether he knew he injured Robert Whittaker at UFC 308. “Borz” and “The Reaper” shared the Octagon in the co-main event of the Abu Dhabi show. It was a pivotal bout in the middleweight division, as a winner would likely punch their ticket for a future middleweight title shot.