Khamzat Chimaev poses with UFC championship belt; aims for gold in 2021

UFC Welterweight and Middleweight contender Khamzat Chimaev has posted a picture of him posing with a UFC championship belt on Twitter. The '2021' caption suggests the Russian is aiming for championship gold in the new year.

2021 👀 pic.twitter.com/k0toC4GAw5

— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) December 28, 2020

Chimaev has undoubtedly been one of the breakout stars of the year with his nonchalant personality and impressive Octagon performances. The 26-year-old made his UFC debut back in July 2020 when he completely dominated John Phillips over two rounds.

The feared fighter then made small work of Rhys McKee 10 days later, setting the record for quickest turnaround between UFC wins in the modern era. However, his most impressive performance to date was against Gerald Meerschaert at Middleweight when he KO'd the American in the first round.

Khamzat Chimaev was booked to fight Leon Edwards in the last fight card of the year. However, with Edwards testing positive for Coronavirus, that fight was shelved until early next year.

Khamzat Chimaev wants to be UFC Champion in 2021

Khamzat Chimaev of Chechnya celebrates after his TKO victory over Rhys McKee

Almost everyone is keen to see Khamzat Chimaev back in action. The Russian phenomenon has been a breath of fresh air, already calling out champions in both his preferred weight divisions - Welterweight and Middleweight.

Confirmed upcoming UFC fights:16th January - Max Holloway v Calvin Kattar20th January - Leon Edwards v Khamzat Chimaev23rd January - Conor McGregor v Dustin PoirierAll in the space of seven days. pic.twitter.com/LiPKbrKGol

— bet365 (@bet365) December 26, 2020

With his stellar performances he has certainly made a fan of Dana White. The UFC President has been one of many to jump onto the Khamzat bandwagon, throwing him into potentially deep waters against Leon Edwards.

"Well listen, if you’re ranked in the top 5 and you’re worried about being derailed by a guy that’s ranked in the top 15… Well realistically, if you look at it, Khamzat burst onto the scene.

I mean the guy has 1.1 million followers overnight. There’s a lot of tough guys Edwards could fight, that don’t have the same excitement value of fighting a guy like Khamzat. And Khamzat is either real or he is not, we’re going to find out. You know how you find out? You face a guy like Leon Edwards."

A fearsome wrestler with great standup ability, the future is exciting for Khamzat Chimaev in 2021, especially if he beats Edwards. The Russian might have enough momentum to earn a title-shot next year.