5 reasons why the UFC should book Khamzat Chimaev vs Colby Covington

#2. Defeating Colby Covington will bring Khamzat Chimaev closer to the title bout

Following Colby Covington's loss at UFC 268, Khamzat Chimaev took to Twitter to congratulate Kamaru Usman on his win.

It also contained an open declaration - "I’m coming for you brother I’m coming."

While Chimaev feels he's ready to take on UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, Dana White believes otherwise.

According to the UFC president, Khamzat Chimaev needs to rise up the ladder before he deserves a shot at the title.

“I don’t know if Chimaev is ready for that yet. (a title shot) Chimaev just broke into the top ten by fighting number eleven. It’s a whole ‘nother ball game when you get into the top ten, and you start fighting five and up. He’s one or two fights away from a championship.”

Realistically, Khamzat Chimaev's deserving a title shot straight away seems far fetched. But given his dominance so far, it seems plausible to book a fight with the best in the division.

As White mentioned, 'Borz' is "one or two fights away from a championship". Colby, naturally, should be the best choice in such a scenario. After all, there can't be a better chance of earning a title shot than defeating the top-ranked player in the division - Colby Covington.

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#1. Colby Covington remains largely untested in the welterweight division

Colby Covington has a stellar record in the UFC. Barring two losses to Kamaru Usman, 'Chaos' hasn't been defeated in the last five years.

Even Usman, who is currently the best pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC, has had to work hard on both occasions. At UFC 268, despite being on the backfoot in the earlier rounds, Colby came back strong to make it a close contest.

Going neck-and-neck with a fighter of Usman's callibre is no easy task. As per official stats, Colby had 38% of his strikes on target, while Usman had 41%.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Dana White praised Colby Covington for his resilience. He said:

"Listen, he's the second-best guy in the division...the second-best guy in the world."

"If Usman doesn’t exist then Colby Covington is the champion here in UFC, Usman is just, this guy is the best ever and he is the best Welterweight of all time.”

Khamzat Chimaev might prove to be a good challenge for Colby Covington. Of his four fights in the UFC, none of them have ever gone to the third round. He has also absorbed a solitary significant strike in his UFC career so far.

The Chechan is already being hailed as a worthy opponent for Usman by UFC legend Daniel Cormier.

Interestingly, in the UFC nothing is guaranteed. But it still wouldn't be a bad idea to test Covington's game against a fighter who is on the rise. Will Chimaev prove to be too much for Covington? It remains to be seen.