ABU DHABI – Dana White may have other plans, but Khamzat Chimaev isn’t opposed to the idea of changing his mind after Saturday.
UFC CEO White recently said that a rematch with former champion Shawn Strickland will be the next title defense for middleweight champion Drexus du Plessis, who recently defended the belt by submitting former champion Israel Adesanya.
Du Plessis beat Strickland by unanimous decision in January to win the 185-pound belt. But among the fighters waiting in the wings is Chimaev (13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC), who on Saturday will face another former champion, Robert Whittaker (27-7 MMA, 17-5 UFC), at UFC 308 (pay-per-view , ESPN+) co-main event at Etihad Arena.
If Chimaev, who was favored at 2-1 to maintain his unbeaten record against Whittaker, can win impressively, could he get past Strickland? Stranger things have happened than turmoil at the top of the UFC title picture after things seemingly settled.
But Chimaev certainly won’t bank on the idea of being next.
“I hope so, but they’ve said that before too,” Chimaev said at the UFC 308 media day on Wednesday in Abu Dhabi. “When I beat Gilbert Burns, I didn’t have a chance. Then (Kamaru) Usman came, and ‘If he beats Usman, he’ll fight for the title.’ I haven’t fought (for the title) yet, so we’ll see.”
Almost certainly one of the things that has hampered Chimaev in this regard is his inactivity due to health issues. He beat Burns in April 2022, but in a September bout with Nate Diaz, he made the mistake of cutting too much weight and fought Kevin Holland at middleweight instead. But he didn’t fight again for over a year when he beat Usman, and his fight with Whittaker had already been delayed from June.
Chimaev has dealt with lingering COVID-19 issues in the past, coping with a mysterious illness that put him out of commission over the summer.
He was clearly in good shape financially not to stress his lack of activity, and insists that having more money doesn’t make him any less hungry for the title.
“I’m happy with the money,” he said before adding: “I make more money than any champion.” “Money doesn’t change me.” People will be the same. I will remain as humble as I was before.
Check out Chimaev’s full media interview above.
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