Athletes
Khamzat Chimaev: Smash Everyone And Get All The Belts
UFC Superstar Khamzat Chimaev’s Desire To Crush The Best In The World Continues As He Faces Former Welterweight Champion At UFC 294: Makhachev vs Volkanovski 2
Nothing was going to stop Khamzat Chimaev from fighting at UFC 294: Makhachev vs Volkanovski 2. After more than a year on the sidelines, “Borz” didn’t care who he faced or at what weight class – he just wants to fight, and he made that clear by accepting Kamaru Usman at middleweight after his bout with Paulo Costa fell through just over a week ago.
The 29-year-old superstar told reporters in Abu Dhabi at UFC 294 media day that the whole process of switching from fighting Costa to fighting Usman was a simple one.
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“My manager called me to fight Usman and I said ‘OK, let’s go’,” Chimaev said. “For me, it doesn’t matter.”
When it became clear that Costa was going to have to pull out of their middleweight bout due to an infection in his elbow, Chimaev couldn’t help but feel desperate for a fight. He wrote a message to UFC CEO Dana White begging for a fight with anyone. Ranked, unranked, veteran, or newcomer.
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“I wrote Dana White and I said, ‘Brother, give me someone, I need to fight,’” Chimaev recalled. “But then my manager called so I deleted the message.”
Once the fight was announced, many fans were thrilled to find out Chimaev was going to fight Usman in a matchup between the former welterweight champion and one of the division’s top contenders.
But Chimaev moved up to middleweight following a weight miss at UFC 279 and that’s how the fight with Costa came about. Now it’s Usman, and Chimaev is just as excited as the fans to finally showcase what he can do against “The Nigerian Nightmare”.
Khamzat Chimaev | The Hype Is Real
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Khamzat Chimaev | The Hype Is Real
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“Since day one when I get to the UFC, everyone spoke about Khamzat and Usman and our wrestling skills and our striking – all of these things. He’s an old version, I’m new. Like iPhones come out - he’s like iPhone 5 and I’m like iPhone Pro,” Chimaev joked. “If there is gold there, of course he’s going to cut the weight, but he couldn’t take the belt so that’s why he asked [to step in]. I’m Khamzat Chimaev. That’s why he comes up to fight to fight me. The guy comes for money, and the money fight is me.”
Chimaev knows that the public applauds Usman’s decision to step in, and while that’s well deserved, he also knows that coming in on short notice could potentially give Usman the ability to point to his lack of preparation if he were to lose.
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“The guy comes just to make money,” Chimaev said. “Of course, he comes to win, everyone comes to the fight to win, but he has all the excuses.”
A win over Usman – and a dominant one like we’ve grown accustomed to seeing from Chimaev – would certainly skyrocket him to the top of the list for title fights at both welterweight and middleweight.
Chimaev believes his UFC career is just getting started. He’s planning on being at the top for the next ten years.
He’s confident that he’ll end up facing Costa at some point and he also has his sights on fighting with Israel Adesanya, battling middleweight champion Sean Strickland, and competing with welterweight champion Leon Edwards.
And that’s exactly what Chimaev wants. He wants to face the best in the world and beat the best in the world in a way that no one has ever seen before. If he can do that, he isn’t concerned with how long it takes him to get to a title shot.
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He knows that getting belts and records is inevitable.
“I want to fight the best guys. It’s not fun to watch if I’m going to smash somebody that nobody knows. It’s not going to make UFC any money,” Chimaev said. “I’m not after just the title; I’m after all the heads in the UFC. Smash somebody, make money and be happy.
“If I smash everyone, finish everyone, they have to give me all belts.”
UFC 294: Makhachev vs Volkanovski 2 took place live from Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE on October 21, 2023. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
