"Dude needs to pump his breaks" - When fans reacted to Khamzat Chimaev calling out Israel Adesanya after just three fights into his UFC career

Four years ago, Khamzat Chimaev raised eyebrows by issuing a challenge to then-undefeated UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. At the time, 'Borz' had only just taken part in his first three fights in the promotion, finishing all of his opponents in impressive fashion.

Meanwhile, Adesanya was fresh off a masterclass in striking at UFC 253, where he annihilated another unbeaten fighter in Paulo Costa via second-round TKO. Back then, 'The Last Stylebender' seemed unbeatable, and his reign as middleweight champion primed to continue indefinitely. But that only interested Chimaev more.

Chimaev called out Adesanya with a post on his social media accounts and captioned:

"Borz is ready for the hunt and grab what belongs to him. @stylebender I am ready, make this happen @ufc @danawhite @seanshelby @mickmaynard2"

Khamzat posted this on his Instagram. byu/m19honsy inufc

While Adesanya would eventually lose his title, twice in fact, it was not Chimaev who dethroned him on either occasion. And if the fan response to 'Borz's' callout was of any indication, they didn't believe he was quite ready for Adesanya, at least not yet. After all, Adesanya had proven himself against the world's best.

Fans on Reddit were quick to dismiss Chimaev's callout, citing him as an example of a fighter getting ahead of themselves. One fan even opined that Chimaev still had far too much to prove before aiming for the title.

"He has a long way to go lmao"

Others, though, echoed one of Khabib Nurmagomedov's most oft-used quotes.

"Send lokation"

However, the prevailing rhetoric was that Chimaev was being unrealistic at the time.

"Pump the break Khamzat"

Some even predicted that Chimaev would have been dominated had he fought Adesanya at the time.

"He would get destroyed"

A collage of fan reactions can be seen below:

Fan reactions to Khamzat Chimaev's four-year-old callout of Israel Adesanya

However, years later at UFC 294, Chimaev would face his first-ever champion, beating former welterweight kingpin Kamaru Usman via majority decision. His next outing, which came against ex-middleweight champion Robert Whittaker, was far more impressive, as he dominated and submitted 'The Reaper' in round one.

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Khamzat Chimaev is now in a position to fight Israel Adesanya

With Dricus du Plessis likely facing Sean Strickland next in his defense of middleweight gold, Khamzat Chimaev may have to fight one more time to solidify his position as the next title challenger. To do so, he ought to face Israel Adesanya, who is curretly 1-3 in his last four fights.

Moreover, Adesanya is also on a two-fight losing streak, having suffered back-to-back defeats in middleweight championship bouts, so he is unlikely to receive another title shot without beating a few contenders.