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Khamzat Chimaev Has revealed why he doesn’t want to defend himself ufc Next up is a middleweight title shot against standout contender Nasourdin Imavov.
Chimaev won the title in August at 185 pounds, Overpowering Draculas du Plessis to oust South African from the post Through judgment and remain invincible.
And Talk quickly turned to Chimaev’s first challengerThe middleweight division is currently filled with credible contenders, many of whom were booked against each other. In October, Brendan Allen beats in-form Reinier de Ridder by TKOBut a month ago, Imavov defeated Caio Borralho.
Imavov has already defeated Allen in 2024 also Stopping former champion Israel Adesanya This February, he will emerge as the next title challenger from 2026.
However, Chimaev has been calling for a fight with 205lb champion Alex Pereira, and has revealed that this goal is not solely motivated by a desire to win a second title. Rather, it also stems from the Russians’ dynamic with Imavov, who represents France but was born in Dagestan.
“He’s a good boy,” Chimaev told ESPN“I know him, he knows me, we know each other, If you ask me, I don’t want to fight this guy, because we know each other,
“Like [as] A Muslim, he’s from Dagestan… You know how Dagestan and Chechen people are, it’s a bit like there’s a lot of drama going on on the Internet, [things] I don’t like it.
“But if the UFC wants it, brother, I’ll never say ‘no.’ If the guy wants it… I even tell his manager: ‘Brother, if Nasordin wants it, I’ll be open.’
“If he says he can wait until I make the move, I’ll do it [grateful], [If not,] I won’t say ‘no’. I want to fight this guy. It doesn’t matter to me.”
The 30-year-old Imavov is currently riding a five-fight win streak, taking his professional record to 17-4. Meanwhile, 31-year-old Chimaev is 15-0.
Chimaev’s electric entry into the UFC in 2020, with two wins in 10 days, first alerted UFC fans to his talent. Two months later, he scored a 17-second knockout of veteran Gerald Meerschaert to further fuel the hype surrounding him. However, illness and travel issues began to muddy the story. chimaev was the future champion,
Nevertheless, he eventually captured a title shot after scoring victories over former welterweight king Kamaru Usman and ex-middleweight champion Robert Whittaker. Broke the teeth of the latter with a submission in the first round,
He took the middleweight belt from Du Plessis with a one-sided showWinning 50-44 on all three judges’ scorecards.