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Khamzat Chimaev had a spectacular performance this past weekend at UFC 273. He defeated former title challenger Gilbert Burns via unanimous decision and has now moved to No.3 in the welterweight rankings.
In doing so, ‘Borz’ proved that he’s no flash in the pan and a real, legitimate title contender. He overcame his fair share of adversity throughout the fight and managed to remain calm even after being dropped by Burns.
After the bout, all the questions of how he’ll perform when he’s truly tested were answered. The performance will make for some fun matchmaking meetings for the UFC as they begin booking their summer events. There is no doubt that ‘Borz’ is now a star for the UFC and should be promoted as such. This list will look at five possible opponents for Chimaev after his UFC 273 win.
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#5. Khamzat Chimaev vs. Vicente Luque
Khamzat Chimaev vs. Vicente Luque would be a fun matchup in the welterweight division. Like Gilbert Burns, ‘The Silent Assassin’ is a well-rounded fighter with excellent grappling and striking. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu blackbelt is the No.5-ranked UFC welterweight and could put himself in title contention with another win.
Luque is currently riding a four-fight winning streak that includes wins over Michael Chiesa and former welterweight champion Tyron Woodley. It’s been an impressive winning streak that has seen him win two fights via KO/TKO and two via submission.
‘Borz’ could be in for another Fight of the Night slugfest with ‘The Silent Assassin.’ While speaking with Haymakers, Luque said he understands the hype around the welterweight contender and would be interested in that bout.
Luque said:
“I haven’t heard him say my name. If he says my name and the UFC sends me the contract, I’ll sign that contract. That’s simple for me."
#4. Khamzat Chimaev vs. Belal Muhammad
Khamzat Chimaev vs. Belal Muhammad has been a fight that’s been talked about in the past but never came to fruition. Prior to his bout with Burns, it seemed as though Muhammad would be his next opponent.
After his unanimous decision win over Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson, Muhammad called out ‘Borz’. When explaining his reasoning for calling out a fighter that was 4-0 in the UFC, Muhammad mentioned his hype as a factor. He stated:
“You go out there and beat a guy like that, you steal all of his hype, all of his shine. Then you just beat the boogeyman."
It’s understandable why Muhammad would choose to pursue that fight. Chimaev's popularity continues to grow, especially after the biggest win of his MMA career. If ‘Remember The Name’ were to hand him his first career loss, it’d be hard to deny him a title shot.
#3. Khamzat Chimaev vs. Israel Adesanya
Despite ascending the rankings in the UFC’s welterweight division, Chimaev challenging Israel Adesanya for the middleweight championship shouldn’t be ruled out. He split time between welterweight and middleweight after his debut, so he’s more than capable of competing at 185 lbs.
While speaking with Daniel Cormier, Chimaev shared his thoughts on Adesanya.
“Israel, I think he will fight me. I don’t think the guy is scared. That guy is gonna fight with me, and I will fight the guy, as well. But this not my level, that guy. He gives his back to his guy who never did wrestling in UFC, never took somebody down."
It wouldn’t be unlikely for ‘Borz’ to eventually move up again and challenge Adesanya. He hasn’t shied away from letting it be known how he’d fare against ‘The Last Stylebender.’ He believes that he would even be able to defeat the middleweight champion with little difficulty.
#2. Khamzat Chimaev vs. Kamaru Usman
After his win at UFC 273, it became evident that Khamzat Chimaev was closing in on a welterweight title shot. Like in a hypothetical bout with Adesanya, ‘Borz’ has made it clear that he wouldn’t have any difficulty against Kamaru Usman.
Prior to Chimaev's bout with Burns, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ was somewhat complimentary of him. He credited him for defeating the opponents out in front of him. But, he mentioned that Chimaev would have to defeat a few top-ranked welterweights in order to earn a title shot.
So far, ‘Borz’ has done just that. He defeated Burns by unanimous decision and moved up to No. 3 in the rankings as a result. If he defeats another top-ranked welterweight in impressive fashion, he could earn a title shot at the end of the year.
#1. Khamzat Chimaev vs. Colby Covington
Khamzat Chimaev’s win over Burns should set the stage for a bout with former interim UFC welterweight champion Colby Covington. While speaking on The Pat McAfee Show, Dana White mentioned that it was being targeted for the upcoming UFC on ABC card.
Based on ‘The Wolf’s popularity and ‘Chaos’ coming off his win over Jorge Masvidal, the bout could do well on ABC. Covington’s ability to sell fights with his pre-fight antics and interviews could generate a sizable TV rating.
It’s no secret that Covington has embraced the pro wrestling-style heel persona, which has allowed him to become a bigger commodity. It may have led to fans despising the way he conducts himself. But, that hasn’t stopped them from tuning in to hopefully see him lose.
‘Borz’ vs. ‘Chaos’ would be an excellent matchup based on their cardio and skillset. It could be a high-stakes bout as the winner could earn a title shot against the winner of Usman vs. Leon Edwards.
