Ever since Khamzat Chimaev (10-0) made his UFC debut, it’s been hard to find him fights. Chimaev made his debut on Fight Island back in the summer of 2020. He completely dominated two opponents in a ten day span while only taking one significant strike.
He had his second fight a couple of months later at middleweight against Gerald Meerschaert. Well, he won his third straight UFC fight by finish when he knocked Meerschaert out with the first punch that he threw. After that, the UFC threw him to the wolves (no pun intended) when they booked him against Leon Edwards.
However, covid nixed that bout. In fact, Covid nixed most of Chimaev’s 2021. After surging to becoming one of the UFC’s biggest stars in 2020, Chimaev’s career was in doubt in 2021 due to the illness. However, he was eventually able to get the proper treatment and made his return in October.
In October, he took on Li Jingliang in his return. Somehow, Chimaev was even more impressive at UFC 267 than he had been in his previous three victories. Once again, he earned himself a stoppage win. While not many fighters are calling out Chimaev, there’s one top contender who wants a main event against him.
Make it happen @danawhite I’m all in! 5 rounds in ?? ? vs ? Let’s grappled! @KChimaev @ufc pic.twitter.com/aBMYaa18lb
— GILBERT BURNS DURINHO (@GilbertDurinho) January 17, 2022
Burns calls for UFC headliner against Chimaev
This afternoon, former UFC title challenger Gilbert Burns (20-4) took to Twitter. He tweeted out to Dana White and asked for a main event against the hottest prospect in the UFC. Burns wants a five-round fight against Chimaev and if possible, he wants it to be done in Brazil.
A fight against Burns would be massive for Chimaev. On the flip side, a fight against Chimaev would be massive for Burns. If Burns could derail the hype train that his Khamzat Chimaev, he would likely be in a great position to get a second crack at Kamaru Usman.
Meanwhile, a win against Burns would vault Chimaev right into top contender status. There aren’t many fighters that come along with this kind of “it” factor. Chimaev is something special and if he can prove himself against the best in the world, he will be a massive star for the UFC.
Time will tell, but I think there’s a good chance that this is the fight that’s going to be made. Whoever wins, will likely get a shot at the welterweight championship in the second half of 2022.