"He's not gonna be able to maintain making the weight cut" - Khamzat Chimaev's welterweight career all but finished, claims UFC contender

Khamzat Chimaev's future remains unknown but all reports suggest he will be making a return against former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. Despite the rumors of his next matchup, a 170lb contender believes the star's career is all but over in the division and middleweight should be his next destination.

'Borz' has been not fought in over a year. While that may be the norm for a number of contenders, this is only the second in his UFC career that he has been away this long without a fight. The first time he took over a year away from the cage, he was booked to compete three times before they each fell through.

While discussing Khamzat Chimaev's future in an interview with MiddleEasy, Geoff Neal not only believes the fan favorites time at welterweight is likely coming to an end but also wants 'Borz' to stop "fu**ing around" at 170.

"He might come down to 170 but I feel like he's not gonna be able to maintain making the weight cut to 170, I don't think... He might come down, try to fight for a title, win the title, and then never fight again at 170. I think he should just go in his natural weight class and stop fu**ing around at 170, but we'll see how it plays out."

In a recent post on social media, Khamzat Chimaev stated his interest in fighting twice this year. With all signs pointing to his return at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi on October 21, the undefeated standout has demanded that the promotion book him for their Paris card too, just one month earlier.

Check out what Geoff Neal had to say regarding the Swede's future in the video below.

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Khamzat Chimaev UFC record: How has 'Borz' fared at welterweight?

Since making his debut inside the octagon midway through 2020, Khamzat Chimaev has competed in two different divisions, but what is his record whilst stepping into the cage as a welterweight?

Excluding his catchweight bout with Kevin Holland, the freestyle wrestler has competed at 170 inside the UFC on three separate circumstances, with his most recent being a fight-of-the-year contender.

His first outing at welterweight saw the prospect destroy rising talent, Rhys McKee, just 10 days after Chimaev's UFC debut. His second and third came six months apart, with a huge first-round rear-naked choke victory over Li Jingliang being followed up by a barnburner decision win over Gilbert Burns.