5 hardest fights for Khamzat Chimaev in the welterweight division

#2. Colby Covington vs. Khamzat Chimaev

Covington's record stands at 16-2

The controversial Colby Covington will look to become UFC welterweight champion at UFC 268. Should he beat Kamaru Usman at the pay-per-view, he could quite possibly end up facing Chimaev in 2022.

Covington's strength is undoubtedly his wrestling and ridiculous cardio. While Chimaev also seems to be a very talented grappler, he hasn't competed against someone on Colby's level.

Additionally, you would imagine that if the fight were to go into a third, fourth, or fifth round, Covington would be better prepared. Covington's last four bouts have all gone into the fifth round, so you can be confident in his ability to grind away late.

It would be interesting to see whether their impressive grappling skills would lead to a stand-up war, as we saw in the first bout between Covington and Kamaru Usman.

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#1. Kamaru Usman vs. Khamzat Chimaev

Could we see Usman vs. Chimaev in 2022?

Usman vs. Chimaev would be a blockbuster of a fight. A potential match-up next year may not be outside the realm of possibility either. While Usman faces a tough test at UFC 268, he appears to be running out of fresh challengers.

If Chimaev continues to surge up the rankings, he could meet Usman before long. That bout has the potential to be spectacular, given how dominant both men have looked in recent times.

Usman has exceptional wrestling, which might be enough to match that of Chimaev. One would also assume that Usman is the better striker, especially since he began training with Trevor Wittman in 2020. He has looked much improved in that department recently, as we saw in his knockout over Masvidal.

An elite grappler with much-improved striking, Kamaru Usman could be the most complete fighter Khamzat Chimaev faces in UFC career.