October 29, (THEWILL) – Khamzat Chimaev has revealed his desire to dethrone UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.
When he returns to action this weekend, Chimaev will be hoping to kickstart his assault on the title. “Borz”, as he is nicknamed, established himself as a future star after coming into the scene in a way that few have done before him.
Chimaev returned to the Octagon just 10 days after his dominant debut against John Phillips on Fight Island last July to brutalise Rhys McKee in a similar manner. The swift turnaround set a new record for the most straight wins in modern UFC history, with Royce Gracie still holding the official record.
As if that was not enough, Chimaev went on to set another record in Las Vegas shortly after. A vicious 17-second knockout of Gerald Meerschaert gave the Chechen-born Swede his third consecutive Performance of the Night bonus, as well as the promotion’s fastest three-fight victory run in history, which Chimaev did in 66 days.
Chimaev will make his fourth appearance in the UFC Octagon this Saturday at UFC 267, following a gruelling struggle with COVID-19 that resulted in the cancellation of previous bookings with top welterweight contender Leon Edwards. “Borz” will meet ranked challenger Li Jingliang in the second fight on the event’s main programme.
While he will not be able to look past “The Leech” until after the Abu Dhabi-hosted card, Chimaev is keeping a careful check on the 170-pound title situation. He had previously participated in the organisation at middleweight, but the 27-year-old’s future appears to be at welterweight, which is why Chimaev feels his road will eventually take him all the way to the formidable Usman.
During a recent interview, the product of Stockholm’s Allstar Training Center was asked if he hopes “The Nigerian Nightmare” will still be on the throne when he enters title contention. Despite his doubts about how much time the champ has left, Chimaev informed the welterweight king that he is coming for him.
Although he has only fought unranked opponents in the UFC thus far, a win against Jingliang this weekend would propel Chimaev into the rankings and within striking distance of the top 10. After that, a win over another top opponent would certainly put “Borz” on the verge of a title shot.
Given the competitors Usman has already fought and defeated, some of them twice, the promotion may favour Chimaev’s fresh challenge when booking for “The Nigerian Nightmare,” should Usman still be in possession of the title.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
