Dana White has weighed in on what he wants reigning UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev to do next.
“Borz,” who won the 185-pound gold last year by dethroning Dricus du Plessis at UFC 319, has yet to make his first title defense. Currently, he is out of action until Ramadan and will go under the knife for a minor foot surgery.
When Chimaev comes back, he’s expected to face No. 2-ranked contender Nassourdine Imavov. However, the Chechen-born Emirati recently appeared on the JAXXON Podcast, where he once more teased a move up to light heavyweight to conquer a second UFC title and potentially a third.
He also posted this on X:
Chimaev has been calling out current and two-time 205-pound champion Alex Pereira for the past few months. However, “Poatan” has not shown any interest in fighting the 31-year-old.
Dana White wants Khamzat Chimaev to defend his title before “jumping around”
During the UFC Houston post-fight press conference a few hours ago, Dana White opined that he doesn’t want Khamzat Chimaev to move up just yet and would rather see him defend his middleweight title first.
I’d like to see him [ Khamzat Chimaev ] defend his title at a weight first. Yeah, I’d like to see him defend his title before he talks about jumping around. [Are you] gonna keep going up in weight divisions without defending? I’d rather see him defend.”
Check out Dana White’s comments below:
Sean Strickland wants UFC not to allow Khamzat Chimaev to move up to “fight an easier fight”
Earlier tonight at UFC Houston, Sean Strickland returned to winning ways, stopping the surging Anthony Hernandez via third-round TKO in the main event.
After the win, Strickland started taking instant digs at Chimaev while voicing what he wants next.
Meanwhile, in an interview with Full Send MMA, when asked to weigh in on Chimaev’s potential move up to 205 pounds, “Tarzan” quipped:
He’s a clown, dude. I mean, you want to talk about a clown? You fought once in the middleweight division, and you’re moving up to fight an easier fight? And that’s what he’s doing. He’s moving up to fight an easier fight. 205 division is soft as f**k right now, so he’s like, ‘I’m going to fight Jiri.’ It’s like you are just picking a really easy path. You’re not a double champ. You’ve won a belt once. If the UFC grants that request, it would be a f***ing clown show, and I hope they don’t.”
Check out Sean Strickland’s comments below:
