Published 03/23/2023, 2:27 PM EDT
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA – APRIL 09: Khamzat Chimaev of Russia reacts after his three round battle against Gilbert Burns of Brazil in their welterweight fight during the UFC 273 event at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena on April 09, 2022 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Khamzat Chimaev is one of the most dominant fighters in the UFC. He will be making his return to the octagon as a middleweight and the news about his next opponent is yet to be decided, but ‘Borz’ has been active on social media, especially on his YouTube channel. Moreover, he recently made an appearance on the popular ‘MMA Hour’.
Khamzat Chimaev has always been an outspoken individual who isn’t afraid to claim that people are scared to fight him. And now, the Swedish fighter told Ariel Helwani that he considers himself one of the most popular fighters in the UFC.
Khamzat Chimaev claims to be one of the most famous UFC fighters
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‘Borz’ believes that he, Conor McGregor, Israel Adesanya, and Khabib Nurmagomedov comprise the most famous UFC fighters among the fans. He said, “I’m famous now, and the most famous guy from the UFC, Izzy [Adesanya] and me and Conor [McGregor] and Khabib [Nurmagomedov].”
He also mentions that the fans love to see their fighting style inside the octagon. “People love to watch our fights. And these guys [other fighters], they don’t get followers on Instagram if they try to jump somebody, you know.” Chimaev then talks about why everybody wants to fight him and Conor McGregor because they are famous.
‘Borz’ mentioned how some fighters trash talk about him or their opponents and play mind games with them. But Khamzat is not a fan of it.
Chimaev said, “The other guys try to play somebody. I never played somebody.” He mentions how he never called out anyone for a fight when he was just starting out in MMA. “When I was nobody, I didn’t play, I didn’t call out people like that kind of thing. They [other fighters] do.”
‘Borz’ claps back at Colby Covington
Khamzat Chimaev also talked about Colby Covington and not accepting to fight him. He even posted a video in response to ‘Chaos’s statements in the post-fight press conference.
Chimaev claims that Covington rejected the offer to fight him multiple times. Moreover, when Khamzat Chimaev asked the UFC to fight Alex Pereira after he won the title at UFC 281, the company pushed him to fight the former interim welterweight champion.
via Imago JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA – APRIL 09: Khamzat Chimaev of Russia reacts after his three round battle against Gilbert Burns of Brazil in their welterweight fight during the UFC 273 event at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena on April 09, 2022 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Chimaev also mentioned that Covington started talking trash to him after his decision to move to the middleweight division but when the UFC sent ‘Chaos’ a contract for a fight against him, he didn’t respond to it. However, Chimaev is determined to get the fights he thinks he deserves.
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Khamzat Chimaev is one of the most entertaining fighters in the UFC. Known for rag-dolling his opponents, he has had his fair share of memorable moments inside the octagon. But he is still in search of the perfect opponent for his next fight.
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Who do you think Chimaev should fight next? Let us know in the comments down below.
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