5 potential fights that could lead to a UFC title shot for Khamzat Chimaev

#2. Khamzat Chimaev vs. Nate Diaz

Nate Diaz remains a big name, making him a potentially excellent opponent for Khamzat Chimaev

Logically speaking, Khamzat Chimaev’s best route to a title shot against UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman would be for him to knock off one of the 10 fighters ranked above him.

However, while Nate Diaz is currently unranked by the UFC, it’s probably safe to say that a win over him would mean a lot more than a victory over almost any other fighter in the 170-pound division.

He hasn’t actually won a fight in the octagon since his August 2019 defeat of Anthony Pettis and has lost to both Jorge Masvidal and Leon Edwards in the years that have followed. However, the Stockton native remains one of the UFC’s biggest names and biggest drawing cards.

More to the point, his fight with Edwards didn’t suggest that Diaz had lost that much in terms of his fighting ability. Despite being whitewashed for the first four rounds, he caught ‘Rocky’ with a big shot in the fifth and had him on the verge of being finished.

Given that Edwards is likely to face Usman for the title next, then it’s probably safe to say that Diaz is still a highly dangerous foe for any fighter in the division.

However, on paper at least, Chimaev is a nightmare match for him thanks to his power, wrestling ability and speed. Theoretically then, this would be a low-risk, high-reward fight for ‘Borz’.

Essentially, a close comparison to this fight would be Israel Adesanya’s 2019 win over Anderson Silva in that while Silva wasn’t ranked at the time, a win over him still led to a title shot. The same could easily be said for Chimaev if he could beat Diaz.

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#1. Khamzat Chimaev vs. Colby Covington

Colby Covington is still the highest ranked fighter in the UFC welterweight division, so could Khamzat Chimaev defeat him?

If Khamzat Chimaev wants to take out the highest-ranked fighter in the division on his path to claiming a title shot against UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, then he’s going to have to go through Colby Covington.

‘Chaos’ ended 2021 in disappointing fashion, as he came out on the wrong end of a decision in his own title fight with Usman. However, it’s probably fair to say that he pushed ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ harder than anyone had done before in the octagon.

That alone makes Covington a uniquely dangerous fighter in the division, Given that Usman is the only man to defeat him in the UFC since 2015, anyone able to pull it off would instantly be elevated to the top.

However, this fight wouldn’t only be a great one for Chimaev because of Covington’s high ranking. It’d also be a major clash from all standpoints, as ‘Chaos’ is one of the UFC’s greatest trash-talkers and could build the fight like few others.

Essentially, a fight between Chimaev and Covington could ensure that ‘Borz’ remains in the spotlight and the UFC could easily headline a major show with the clash and capture the interest of the fans.

Due to Covington’s talent, picking up a win over him wouldn’t be easy for Chimaev, but if he could do it, there’d be no way that the UFC could deny him a shot at the gold.