Will ‘Borz’ Continue to Fight at Middleweight?
The current UFC Middleweight Champion, Khamzat Chimaev, has many fans theorizing and questioning what his next move is. He has been somewhat active on ‘X’ recently, posting cryptic and mysterious messages. Initially, he tweeted a simple “205” on February 20th, possibly referring to a move up in weight. There have also been recent sparring videos released showing ‘Borz’ working with Khalil Rountree, a highly ranked Light Heavyweight fighter on the roster. Chimaev also reverted back to trash-talking Sean Strickland on ‘X’, who just recorded a big TKO victory against Anthony Hernandez. So, with Chimaev teetering between two divisions, what reasonably could be his next move?
Well, the champ has only fought in one middleweight title fight, in which he defeated Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 319 to claim the belt. The main event was largely one-sided, with Chimaev controlling the fight on the ground for the majority of the contest. That performance further established him as one of the most dangerous fighters in the UFC, as he now holds a 15-0 record with 12 finishes. After his recent online activity, it appeared that Chimaev was interested in moving up to light heavyweight to challenge Alex Pereira for his belt. However, it was just announced that Pereira would relinquish his belt and move up to Heavyweight, along with news of a Light Heavyweight championship bout between Jiří Procházka and Carlos Ulberg at UFC 327 in April. This announcement would shut down rumors of Chimaev fighting for the Light Heavyweight title anytime soon.
Ultimately, Chimaev still needs to prove himself more as a middleweight champion. While his fight against Du Plessis was impressive, it was still only his first title fight. Some current rumors speculate that Strickland will be next in line to fight Chimaev. There is still the possibility of Du Plessis also getting a rematch to earn his title back, but it could be a long shot given how lopsided the previous fight was. Nassourdine Imavov also has a good chance of earning a title shot given his current rank and record in the UFC. Nevertheless, whoever Chimaev is set to face, it is safe to assume that he will continue to fight at middleweight to further better his resume in that division.
