Khamzat Chimaev recently uploaded a strongly worded tweet, possibly aimed at Kamaru Usman, that raised the eyebrows of many in the MMA community.
'Borz's' post, when translated by Twitter, mentioned poisoning someone in order to retire them. Many believe that the post was targeted at the former UFC welterweight champion. Chimaev wrote:
"Someone needs to be poisoned for retirement" [Translated via Twitter]
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The possible reason for Chimaev's tweet might be a recent interview that Usman did with Brett Okamoto for ESPN MMA. During the chat, 'The Nigerian Nightmare' expressed interest in a potential showdown with the Chechen-born Swede:
"I think a fight with myself and Khamzat [Chimaev], boom. And if [Leon Edwards] keeps winning, I think that that's a fourth fight for sure. For me, now, I'm just kind of in a place where it's like, I'm having fun with it. I'm having fun. So, it's like, 'What's the biggest, funnest [sic], most intense fight that really makes me feel that?' And, you know, there's a couple fights. That [Chimaev] is the fight right there."
Catch Kamaru Usman's comments below (14:44):
Many MMA fans were taken aback by Chimaev's post and took to Twitter to express their shock at the statement.
As was argued by a few individuals, it is possible that Khamzat Chimaev made a spelling error that resulted in the tweet becoming a potentially serious threat. Some Twitter users claimed that 'Borz' was just saying that he wanted to make a fighter retire from the sport.
Chael Sonnen weighs in on Kamaru Usman's callout of Khamzat Chimaev
Former UFC fighter Chael Sonnen has chimed in on Kamaru Usman's fight challenge against rising star Khamzat Chimaev.
'The American Gangster' praised Usman and said it was a good move by 'The Nigerian Nightmare' to further strengthen his legacy in the sport.
"Stud. When you talk about legacy, all you’re talking about is how the onlookers are going to refer to you in the future. This is how legends are made."
Usman is coming off back-to-back losses against Leon Edwards. Chimaev, on the other hand, is undefeated in his MMA career with a six-fight win streak in the UFC.
There has been talk of 'Borz' possibly moving up to middleweight, but a potential showdown with the former champion might lure him to make the 170-pound weight cut one more time.