Khamzat Chimaev confirms plans for UFC 308 return in Abu Dhabi: “I would like to fight for the title”

UFC middleweight contender Khamzat Chimaev wants to fight for gold in his return later this year.

‘Borz’ has been out of action since a short-notice bout against Kamaru Usman in October. Khamzat Chimaev was originally set to fight Paulo Costa at UFC 294, but he was forced out. As a result, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ stepped up, and was handed a majority-decision defeat. The bout was labeled as a title eliminator, but post-fight, Dana White had a change of plans.

Instead, Khamzat Chimaev didn’t get a crack at UFC middleweight gold. He was instead given a main event opposite Robert Whittaker, set for last month in Saudi Arabia. Just over a week from fight night, ‘Borz’ was forced out due to illness. In his place was Ikram Aliskerov, who was handed a first-round knockout loss by ‘The Reaper’.

Since then, Khamzat Chimaev has been quiet about his return to the cage. However, the middleweight contender has been linked to a potential fight at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi in October. Speaking in a recent interview with Match TV, the Chechen confirmed that rumors of a fall return were accurate.

RELATED: KAMARU USMAN REVEALS PLANS FOR WELTERWEIGHT RETURN, OPENS UP ON WHO COULD BE NEXT: “IT’S AN INTERESTING SPOT”

Khamzat Chimaev confirms plans for UFC 308 return, calls for title fight

However, Khamzat Chimaev also made a head-turning remark in the interview as well. Speaking with Match TV, the middleweight contender made his case for a title shot. In Chimaev’s eyes, his seven-fight winning streak in the octagon is more than enough to finally fight for gold.

“Most likely [I will return] in October in Abu Dhabi.” Khamzat Chimaev stated in the interview discussing his intention to fight at UFC 308. “[My opponent] is unknown so far. I would like to fight for the title. I have seven fights, seven victories. There is no fighter in the UFC who has won seven fights without fighting for the belt.” (h/t ESPN)

While Khamzat Chimaev wants to fight for UFC gold, there’s a bit of a logjam at 185 pounds at the moment. In the last few months, former champions Sean Strickland and Robert Whittaker have made their cases for a title shot with lopsided wins over Paulo Costa and Ikram Aliskerov.

What do you make of these comments from the UFC middleweight contender? Do you think Khamzat Chimaev deserves a title shot?