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While most of his big wins in the UFC have come at 170 pounds, due to his weight-cutting issues, the future for Khamzat Chimaev could well lie at middleweight.
Assuming Khamzat Chimaev does indeed move to 185 pounds on a permanent basis, who could he face there?
‘Borz’ will undoubtedly want to jump into the deep end of the division quickly. However, with champion Alex Pereira likely tied up in a rematch with former kingpin Israel Adesanya, a title shot may have to wait.
With that considered, then, here are five potential opponents for Khamzat Chimaev if he moves to middleweight permanently.
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#5. Khamzat Chimaev vs. Jared Cannonier
One standout middleweight who has already expressed an interest in fighting Khamzat Chimaev is Jared Cannonier.
‘The Killa Gorilla’ recently stated that he didn’t think it would be fair for ‘Borz’ to be able to jump the queue for a title shot at 185 pounds, suggesting that he’d need to beat at least one top fighter first.
While he didn’t seem overly enthusiastic, stating that he didn’t care what the UFC do with Chimaev, he did say that a bout between them would be fun.
It’d also make plenty of sense from a rankings perspective. Cannonier is currently ranked at No.3 in the division, with his only losses there coming at the hands of Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker. He holds wins over Derek Brunson and Kelvin Gastelum, and most recently outpointed Sean Strickland.
A win over Cannonier would definitely propel Chimaev right to the top of the tree at 185 pounds, but could he pull it off? It’d definitely be an intriguing fight to see, and whether Cannonier could fend off Chimaev’s takedowns would be as big a question as how ‘Borz’ would handle the former title challenger’s striking power.
Overall, this one would definitely make logical sense, particularly as the seeds have already been planted by ‘The Killa Gorilla’.
#4. Khamzat Chimaev vs. Marvin Vettori
In a similar vein to a potential bout with Jared Cannonier, a fight that could work for Khamzat Chimaev in the middleweight division would pit him against Marvin Vettori.
Like Cannonier, Vettori fought unsuccessfully for the UFC middleweight title recently, falling to then-champion Israel Adesanya in 2021. He’s since bounced back with a win over Paulo Costa, but most recently fell to Robert Whittaker in a tricky fight.
‘The Italian Dream’ remains highly ranked, though, and sits in the No.4 spot right now. Where he differs from Cannonier is that he doesn’t carry the same striking power as ‘The Killa Gorilla’, instead preferring to wear his opponents out down the stretch.
That could make him a more attractive opponent to Chimaev, who might want to acclimatize to his new weight first before facing off with a truly concussive hitter.
Vettori doesn’t possess a ton of name value, and he wouldn’t be likely to talk much trash leading into the bout. That might mean that the UFC could overlook him for a big fight such as this, but if Chimaev wants to jump into the deep end at 185 pounds, he could do worse than facing the Italian.
#3. Khamzat Chimaev vs. Andre Muniz
It’s arguable that the fighter who is flying under the radar more than anyone in the middleweight division right now is Andre Muniz.
The Brazilian has not been defeated in his UFC career to date, reeling off five wins since his debut in 2019. More importantly, there’s an argument to suggest he’s the best grappler in the division, particularly as he was able to submit the legendary Jacare Souza in 2021.
Muniz doesn’t possess the biggest name in the division, and at No.11, he isn’t that highly ranked, either. However, he’d still be a fascinating match for Khamzat Chimaev.
Thus far into his UFC career, ‘Borz’ has easily outgrappled every opponent he’s ever faced, taking the majority of them down with little effort. He’s also submitted three of his foes with chokes.
Would he really want to tangle with a grappler like Muniz, though? And would he be able to keep the fight vertical if he wished to avoid grappling with him? It’d be fascinating to find out the answer to both of these questions.
This wouldn’t be the most attractive fight for Chimaev to make his official 185-pound debut with, but under the radar, it might be one of the most intriguing.
#2. Khamzat Chimaev vs. Paulo Costa
One thing the UFC always loves to do is send fighters who seem determined to leave the promotion out with a loss. With that in mind, it could be an idea for them to gamble on Khamzat Chimaev being able to defeat Paulo Costa.
‘The Eraser’ was once considered one of the brightest prospects in the middleweight division, but he’s fallen on hard times as of late.
After suffering his first official defeat at the hands of Israel Adesanya in their 2020 title fight, he has won just one bout, defeating the aging Luke Rockhold last summer.
He’s also complained in the media on numerous occasions about his treatment from the promotion, and recently withdrew from a potential fight with Robert Whittaker after Dana White and company reportedly refused to acquiesce to his financial demands.
Whether Costa will even fight again for the promotion – or whether he simply waits his contract out – is a fair question. If he does stick around for his final bout, though, then it’d definitely be tempting for the UFC to bank on Chimaev being able to take him down and dominate him on the ground.
Sure, it’d also be a risk – in his rise up the ranks, ‘The Eraser’ looked like a monster. However, if he were to come in on the same form as he showed against Rockhold, ‘Borz’ would be favored to win. Therefore, that might make this an attractive fight for the UFC.
#1. Khamzat Chimaev vs. Robert Whittaker
While he no longer holds the UFC middleweight title, Robert Whittaker is undoubtedly one of the best 185lbers in the history of the promotion.
Since moving to the weight class in 2014, ‘The Reaper’ has defeated 12 opponents, including Yoel Romero, Jared Cannonier, Derek Brunson and Marvin Vettori. More importantly, he’s only lost to one man – Israel Adesanya.
Still ranked at No.2 in the division, the Australian is probably the toughest gatekeeper in the UFC, bar none. Therefore, if Khamzat Chimaev wants to make a real splash in the division if he moves there permanently, Whittaker would be the man to take out.
Could ‘Borz’ really defeat ‘The Reaper’? It’s genuinely hard to say. Chimaev is undoubtedly a tremendous fighter. He’s been able to overpower and outwrestle every opponent he’s ever faced, and he hits like a truck, too.
However, Whittaker’s takedown defense is phenomenal, with his current rate standing at a remarkable 84%. Considering that includes two bouts with Yoel Romero, one of the best wrestlers in UFC history, that’s hugely impressive.
This, then, would be a massively risky bout for Chimaev to take, but it’d also be huge. If he could win, there’d be no way of denying him a title shot, and he’d probably be the favourite to take the title, too.
