Next time Russian fighter Khamzat Chimaev steps into the UFC octagon, he wants to go for gold.
Chimaev hasn’t competed since October 2023 at UFC 294, where he won by majority decision against former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.
Now, the undefeated Russian is looking to return to action after a year, at UFC 308.
Khamzat Chimaev told Russian channel “Match TV”: “My return will most likely be in October in Abu Dhabi.”
He added: “The opponent is not known yet, but I would like to fight for the title.”
He continued: “I have seven fights and seven victories. No fighter in the UFC has won seven fights without fighting for the belt.”
But Chimaev is mistaken in his statistics, as there are currently two other undefeated fighters in the UFC who have won eight fights and have not yet competed for a title: Movsar Evloev and Ian Machado Garry.
Drikus Du Plessis and former champion Israel Adesanya are set to compete for the middleweight title at UFC 305 in Australia.
Khamzat Chimaev was supposed to fight former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker at UFC Saudi Arabia.
However, he had to withdraw due to health issues.
Khamzat Chimaev’s recurring problem! This problem has occurred on more than one occasion during his UFC career, raising concerns for the organization’s CEO Dana White.
White recently said on “The Jim Rome Show”: “It has been difficult to get him into the octagon recently.”
He added: “Every time he gets close to fighting, he gets seriously ill. I don’t know what to say. It’s not like he’s here in this country where doctors can check him or anything like that. He’s kind of elusive, so it’s hard to deal with him.”
When Chimaev has made it to the cage, he’s been a force.
He remains undefeated in seven UFC fights across both the welterweight and middleweight divisions with five stoppages.
Many, including White, have high confidence in his prospects as a potential champion.
Despite his recent health setback, Chimaev aims to win the championship title upon his return.
