Credit:Getty/UFC
Credit: Getty/UFC
While Khamzat
Chimaev re-established himself as a prospect to watch at UFC
267, he won’t be fast tracked to a title shot.
After a battle with COVID-19 put him on the shelf for more than a
year, Chimaev made an emphatic return on Oct. 30, when he submitted
Jingliang
Li with a rear-naked choke 3:16 into the opening round of their
welterweight clash at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The Allstars
Training Center product has barely been touched in four UFC
appearances thus far, and he has all the makings of a potential
star in the Las Vegas-based promotion.
One week later, UFC president Dana White pumped the brakes on
Chimaev being an instant title contender at 170 pounds in the wake
of reigning champ Kamaru
Usman’s latest belt defense in the UFC 268 headliner.
“You’ve got some guys out there talking about Khamzat
Chimaev that he’s ready for [a title shot] – he’s had four
fights in the UFC,” White said at the UFC 268 post-fight news
conference. “I get it: The dude is one of the coolest, baddest
things we’ve ever seen and the way he rips through people. But once
you break into the top 10, top five – not even talking about Usman
– it’s a whole other game. He’s a couple of fights away. If he can
beat a couple of guys in the top 10, top five, then we’ll see.”
While Chimaev figures to have no shortage of potential opponents
for his next Octagon appearance, White acknowledged that Leon
Edwards is pretty high on the contender’s queue, provided he
gets past Jorge
Masvidal at UFC 269 next month.
“[Edwards] has been waiting for a title shot for a long time, too,”
White said. “He’s been in there, fought the fights we told him to
do. He’s had a lot of bad luck. Things happen, but there’s always
somebody.”