“This is my plan.” Chimaev talks about three belts, but has been inactive for almost a year
July 24, 2023
For starters, it’s good that Khamzat is at least back in the Octagon.
Khamzat Chimaev has been appearing only in the media space for a long time and does not go into the cage. It’s been ten months since Borza’s last fight, and since then Chimaev’s name has mostly been in the buzz, from Alex Pereira and Kamaru Usman to Jared Cannonier and Colby Covington. And just last week, the Swedish-Chechen wrestler was assigned a duel with Paulo Costa, and Khamzat was already talking about three belts again.
“I am ready to fight in any division. When Prochazka got injured, I asked for a light heavyweight title fight with Glover Teixeira. It didn’t happen, but don’t worry, it still will. All titles will soon be mine. I’m ready to compete in any division, I don’t care. I can go down to welterweight too. I just need time. Last time they gave me only four weeks. Three divisions at least is my plan. If someone wants to fight, weight doesn’t matter,” Chimaev said.
Why Costa is a failed opponent for Khamzat:
A super tournament is being prepared for Makhachev and Chimaev in Abu Dhabi. But our boys’ rivals are failures.
A bold statement, but not the most appropriate against the background of a long downtime and an incomprehensible situation with the weight class. During the time that Chimaev did not enter the Octagon, people gradually began to erase the memories that, in general, Khamzat is a very bright and tough fighter. In addition, Borz had and still has a real chance to become a UFC champion. At welterweight, he made it to the top 3 but stopped and is already slowly sliding down the rankings. Now the promotion wants to test Khamzat at the middleweight level and try to shake up a division that is in decline. The appearance of the charismatic Chimaev will give new blood and bright shows.
Henry Cejudo, for example, believes that the duel between Paulo Costa and Khamzat Chimaev will have challenger status: “I like it. The winner of this fight will most likely become a contender for the middleweight title. Khamzat Chimaev is a stubborn guy, he loves to fight, throws punches. He’s moving up to the middleweight division and he’s going to fight a pretty big middleweight.”
This would be a logical step. Chimaev, in the event of a victory over Costa, who has also been inactive for a long time and at the same time upsets the nerves of the promotion management, will become a new contender. So can Chimaev compete with Israel Adesanya? Most likely, yes, but it is difficult to call Khamzat a favorite in such a confrontation. However, at least it will be extremely difficult for a champion to protect himself from passes to the legs. At most, Chimaev’s aggressive style can overwhelm Izzy and cause him a lot of trouble, because he’s not usually fought like that. And Adesanya himself is frankly weak in the fight.
Perhaps Chimaev has problems, so they did not give him fights:
Chimaev’s next superfight flopped. It seems that Khamzat is in trouble.
If Chimaev can make it to the top of middleweight, then his words about wanting to win three belts will start to take real shape. Khamzat claims that, under the condition of a full camp, he can cut weight down to welterweight. Well, in this division, Chimaev has practically no threats. Covington is brave, but it’s hard to imagine him giving Khamzat a hard time, Kamaru Usman began to give up and Edwards, with all due respect, is now not taken seriously even in his homeland and is expected to stumble.
As for the prospects in three weights, here Chimaev, most likely, refused. If success in the welterweight and middleweight division can be assumed because there has been a certain stalemate, then at light heavyweight it’s more difficult. There are enough candidates and tough guys who can fend off the fight effectively. In addition, Chimaev will lose the advantage in size.
Do Chimaev’s words about three belts sound strange? Now yes, definitely. Khamzat has yet to have a single five-round fight in the UFC. But if Borz solves his problems, he gets down to business and starts acting more often than he talks, then we get to see him with a belt. And there you can already try to swing to new heights and turn what now seems absurd into reality.
