Khamzat
Chimaev wants the title shot that was allegedly promised to him
by Dana White.
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Chimaev moved up to middleweight this past October, welcoming
Kamaru
Usman to the division on short notice at
UFC 294.
“Borz” went on to score a tightly-contested majority decision win
over the former welterweight champ. While the outing marked only
his third middleweight win under the
Ultimate Fighting Championship banner, the Chechen claims to
have been guaranteed a title shot by the UFC CEO for his next
outing.
Chimaev was expecting to face the winner of Sean
Strickland vs. Dricus Du
Plessis at
UFC 297 on Saturday. However, Du Plessis called out Israel
Adesanya after dethroning Strickland and “The Last Stylebender”
has also expressed interest in that bout.
While “Borz” still hasn’t given up hope of fighting for the title
next, he made clear that he isn’t happy with recent
developments.
“They promised me after Usman fight, ’You will for sure going to
fight for the title,‘ and I win that fight,” he told ESPN. “I don’t know what’s going on. I heard Dana
White say stuff like ‘I don’t think Khamzat is next for the title.’
That’s bulls—t man.
“If you promised me something, you have to answer for your words.
I’m the guy who always answers for my words, so I don’t care if
it’s some president or somebody, like a king. If you give me your
word, you have to answer for that. So, I grow up, when I give word,
you have to answer for it… We’re doing that. I will be happy to
answer for my words about killing them man, so we’ll see. Maybe in
the USA it’s a different mentality.
“I don’t know. I will be surprised if that happens, if somebody
fights [for the title] next that’s not me. So, we’ll see. I didn’t
talk with Dana, I don’t know what he’s thinking, he knows better
than me… For sure, in my mind, it should be me.”