Khamzat Chimaev is but to battle in 2023, however he nonetheless sees himself as the largest fish within the sea.
UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards is predicted to defend his title towards Colby Covington within the close to future, UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya nonetheless awaits his subsequent opponent, and Chimaev rival Paulo Costa has an introduced date with the lately debuted Ikram Aliskerov — information which appears to have left Chimaev with an apparent dance accomplice.
Chimaev is hoping to face former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 21, however nothing has been made official for the undefeated “Borz,” and he let loose a few of his frustration on his UFC friends on YouTube.
“There’s no cash fights anymore, it’s solely me,” Chimaev mentioned. “As a result of Leon Edwards doesn’t offer you that a lot cash. Should you battle with me, everybody is aware of it’s the cash battle.
“Leon has the title, so he mentioned he needs to battle, however I don’t know what the UFC needs to do. They provide Colby that probability. When did he win his final battle? I don’t bear in mind. Who did he win towards? No one. He’s a no person, he wins towards no person. Usman broke his chin two occasions. He knocked him down, that man. He’s s***. They provide him that probability possibly as a result of he’s from the USA, they need the belt for him. I’m from Sweden, dwelling in Dubai, so possibly they don’t need to give that belt to me. That’s the one factor I see, I don’t know what else. Possibly they’ve good plans for me, I don’t know. I belief the fellows, so we’ll see.”
The Costa vs. Aliskerov announcement needed to be notably confounding for Chimaev, given {that a} potential matchup between the Chimaev and Costa has been often mentioned by followers, the media, and the fighters themselves. Chimaev needs the battle for private causes, not as a result of he has any respect for Costa’s accomplishments.
“Paulo has spoken quite a lot of s*** about me,” Chimaev mentioned. “I need to smash him, I need to kill this man, do quite a lot of issues. He goes to battle with one other man [Aliskerov], I battle him a very long time earlier than, three or 4 years in the past earlier than the UFC, I received towards that man. So I feel the man will beat him as effectively. Paulo will not be good. He’s s***. He simply talks an excessive amount of. He beat no person. An in depth battle towards Romero, solely fighter that he wins towards [that I know]. Different folks I don’t know, no person is aware of these guys, I don’t know who he beat.
“All of those guys, they battle no person. They’re no person, so for me it’s simply go and take over. I’m right here. Everybody’s speaking, ‘I battle, I battle.’ No one fights, what are you doing right here? It’s only a sport of battle. Let me battle, end any individual, make my cash.”
Chimaev is undefeated in 12 professional bouts, most lately scoring a fast submission of Kevin Holland at UFC 279 this previous September. That bout was contested at 180 kilos after Chimaev missed weight by 7.5 kilos for what was purported to be a fundamental occasion welterweight conflict with Nate Diaz. The highest three fights have been reshuffled to maintain everybody on the cardboard, with Chimaev as a substitute combating Holland and Diaz staying within the headlining spot the place he defeated Tony Ferguson.
Previous to that mishap, Chimaev had established himself as a title menace in each the welterweight and middleweight divisions, with all however one (a unanimous choice win over Gilbert Burns) of his profession victories ending inside the space. Regardless of his current inactivity, Chimaev nonetheless sees UFC gold as assured.
“I need to battle for the title, so for me it doesn’t matter which weight class,” Chimaev mentioned. “I can go [170], however I don’t need to make weight for a no person at [170], why am I going to try this? I’m No. 3 — truly, that quantity for me is nothing. I really feel I’m the king of this weight class and I’m the king of [185] as effectively. So simply give me a title shot. I’m prepared for each. I’m prepared for Usman, I’m prepared Leon, I’m prepared for Israel [Adesanya]. Doesn’t matter. I’m prepared for everyone. Simply ask Dana [White] after I say no. By no means. I need to battle. I’m the perfect, and once you really feel you’re the perfect it’s important to battle with the perfect, everybody.
“For Israel, there’s no person there. Solely me. So cash, in case you spoke about cash, in case you ask the followers, they need to see me and Israel. I’m a nasty matchup for him. Everybody is aware of he’s going to lose the title, that’s why they saved that man. They constructed him up, they don’t need to lose him that quick. I end that man and not using a punch, that man. That’s why they’re scared. Then the story is lifeless, they don’t need to kill that man. Possibly the man makes cash for them. However I nonetheless earn cash as effectively, so I don’t know what’s happening. Who’s he going to battle? There may be no person. He wins once more, all of the strikers, and now I’m a wrestler, a killer. I squeeze the heads off my opponents.”
