UFC middleweight Edmen Shahbazyan believes welterweight star Khamzat Chimaev’s style and ability could transition well to 185 pounds if he decides to move up a division.
‘Borz’ has been one of the fastest-rising stars in the octagon since making his UFC debut in 2020. The Chechen-born Swede is undefeated in his career so far (12-0) and has dominated practically every opponent he has faced.
Due to his relatively untested time in the octagon so far, many expect the 28-year-old will soon set his sights on the middleweight division.
Chimaev is a towering figure at 170 pounds but recently failed to make weight for his last appearance at UFC 279. ‘Borz’ was initially set to main event the pay-per-view against Nate Diaz, but the card was forced into a reshuffle after he tipped the scaled 7.5 pounds over the limit.
Due to the staggering weight miss, Dana White stated that he’d give Khamzat Chimaev one last chance at welterweight.
In the latest episode of Insight Fighting’s 5 Minutes of Fighting, Edmen Shahbazyan discussed the likelihood of Chimaev finding success at middleweight:
“I think he wants big names for that division. I think so [Chimaev will be a success at middleweight], I think he could be dominant. His style is a good style for MMA and he for sure could do really well at 185 pounds as well.”
Catch the interview here:
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Robert Whittaker unfazed if UFC book Khamzat Chimaev vs. Alex Pereira ahead of him
UFC middleweight Robert Whittaker has revealed he wouldn’t be surprised if Khamzat Chimaev skips the line to become the first title defense for Alex Pereira.
Chimaev has been rumored to make the step up to middleweight for sometime, but was expected to continue his welterweight run whilst Israel Adesanya was top of the division. Following UFC 281’s shocking main event, which saw ‘Poatan’ conquer Adesanya, many feel that now is Khamzat Chimaev’s best chance to win the belt.
In an interview with Submission Radio, ‘The Reaper’ admitted he’s not focused on the title picture at 185 pounds unless he’s involved. He also admitted that he wouldn’t be shocked to see ‘Borz’ booked ahead of him:
“They’ve always done weird cr*p like this. I’ve seen weirder stuff happen around titles. It is what it is. It’d be interesting, I guess. I don’t really care about anything, ’cause I’m gonna fight [Paulo] Costa in February. And then whoever is in that top spot, I’m gunning for.”
Whittaker’s planned clash with Costa has since been cancelled owing to a dispute between the Brazilian and the UFC.
Catch the interview here:
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