MMA’s newest sensation Khamzat Chimaev has had as good a UFC start as you can think of. The Tchetchen won his first free fights. His TKO win over Rhys McKee set a record for the quickest turnaround victory in UFC history (10 days). Despite his first two wins coming by TKO thanks to some ruthless ground and pound, Chimaev won his last fight on the feet. Faced against a seasoned veteran in Gerald Meerschaert, Chimaev didn’t waste any time and knocked Meerschaert out cold in the first few seconds of the fight.
But since then it seems the UFC had been having trouble finding an opponent for Chimaev. The Tchetchen looks to stay very active and it seemed that the UFC was close to booking him against Stephen Thompson.
In a recent message on his Twitter profile, Chimaev seems to indicate that both Thompson and Chris Weidman were options for his next fight. But according to him, they declined to UFC’s proposition.
I just want to let my fans know and the people who support me the ufc offer me wonder boy and he turned it down at 170 and also chris Weidman at 185 who also turned it down. I’m coming for everyone
— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) October 9, 2020
“I just want to let my fans know and the people who support me the ufc offer me wonder boy and he turned it down at 170 and also chris Weidman at 185 who also turned it down. I’m coming for everyone.”
Either Thompson (15-4-1) or Weidman (15-5) would be a huge step-up in competition and exactly what Chimaev is looking for. Despite his last win dating back from 2019, Stephen Thompson would clearly be the tougher match-up. He’s still one of the highest-ranked contenders in the welterweight division and defeated Vicente Luque in his last outing.
UFC president Dana White did say that Chimaev would headline an upcoming event against a ranked opponent, but finding an opponent to Chimaev looks to be more complicated than expected.
