Since his massive weigh-cutting mishap ahead of UFC 279, Khamzat Chimaev has been teasing multiple potential moves for himself.
Stepping onto the scale nearly eight pounds over the welterweight limit for his scheduled main event with Nate Diaz, Chimaev forced the UFC to call an audible, shuffling a majority of the event’s main card around in an attempt to save the pay-per-view. Fortunately, the UFC was able to make things work and the event went off without a hitch. Since then, fans have been chomping at the bit to know what’s next for Khamzat Chimaev. Will he move to middleweight? Will he take another fight at welterweight, and if so, against who?
Well, UFC President Dana White may have given us a little insight into plans for the Chechen-born star during an interview with The MAC Life on YouTube. During the conversation, the interviewer suggested that Khamzat Chimaev vs. Colby Covington should be the co-main event when the UFC returns to London in 2023. White quickly agreed with the suggestion.
“I agree with you. Alright, I’m on it. I’ll get it done.”
🚨 DANA WANTS A BIG CO MAIN IN LONDON🚨
per Dana White x @TheMacLife , the UFC want to book this:
Khamzat Chimaev v. Colby Covington
London | UFC 285 | Co-Main | 170 lbs pic.twitter.com/ihJXTp6TyE— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) October 21, 2022
Will Khamzat Chimaev Share the Octagon with Edwards vs. Usman III in 2023?
When the UFC returns to London, the headlining bout is expected to be none other than the highly-anticipated trilogy fight between newly crowned welterweight champion Leon Edwards and former titleholder Kamaru Usman. At UFC 278, ‘Rocky’ avenged a 2015 loss to ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ with a shocking head KO with less than a minute on the clock.
Fans immediately called for a trilogy bout with the series split 1-1. Dana White agreed and confirmed that the rubber match will go down in Edwards’ home country early next year. With the UFC looking to absolutely stack the deck for their return to ‘The Big Smoke’ in 2023, the promotion may look to other England favorites including Liverpudlian Paddy ‘The Baddy’ Pimblet and ‘Meatball’ Molly McCann.
The UFC could turn their return to London into an all-timer with the addition of a welterweight clash between two of the brashest, and most divisive fighters on the roster, Khamzat Chimaev, and Colby Covington.
