Another Russian fighter who has never lost, Khamzat Chimaev, was last seen defeating Kamaru Usman by majority decision at UFC 294. Khamzat, who has 13 victories under his belt, is currently quite optimistic about his future in the UFC.
Although Khamzat is clearly a gifted athlete, Jon Jones made him feel inferior after Khamzat revealed his desire and ideal octagon opponent. Jones holds a legendary status as one of the best fighters in UFC history. Chimaev suffered an injury during his fight at UFC 294, which he hopes to recover from and use in a major event.
Jon Jones reacts to Khamzat Chimaev’s bold claim
Jones is considered the greatest light heavyweight fighter in UFC, whereas Khamzat has moved to the Middleweight category where he is currently ranked #9 and is yet to prove himself in the weight class. Even though he shows a lot of promise and has a bright future, it will be an interesting matchup if he ever fights Jon Jones.
In a recent interview Khamzat was asked about his thoughts on Jon Jones and what would be the result if they fought. Khamzat expressed his desire to fight the legendary fighter and praised Jones. He claimed that if he ever fought Jones, it will be a difficult match but he will win it.
Khamzat said, “Jon Jones still is the best fighter in the world right now, he has most title defenses, he’s a two-weight class champion, he never lost still. He’s the youngest champion in UFC (history). If you speak about MMA, everyone knows Jon Jones. In history, (there is) nobody like him.”
He added, “Depends which weight class. He’s now a heavyweight. You’re asking me? For sure I think I will win. That’s a hard fight for everyone.”
When Jon came across Khamzat’s words, he wasn’t pleased with them. He took to X and said that there is not a question about this match-up. In a way he dismissed him as a potential opponent. Jones said, “Khamzat Chimaev stop it, don’t let people ask you those questions.”
Khamzat Chimaev eyeing UFC 300 return
Khamzat Chimaev last fought Kamaru Usman in UFC 294 where he won with a majority decision. Even though he won the fight, he suffered a ligament tear in his right hand. In a recent post, he was seen in a hospital and he revealed that he got seriously sick after his bout against Usman and was in the hospital for a long time.
Borz revealed he will be going through a surgery, will recover and get ready to fight somebody soon. His recent post raised a lot of speculation about his potential return in UFC 300. In his post, a close-up picture of his face with ‘300’ written around his face, raised hopes for his return.
There are numerous possible rivals for Khamzat, the most prominent being Israel Adensanya, with Jared Cannonier being another. Since they are all already booked, he is unable to compete against any of the top four middleweight fighters in the UFC.
Although it’s admirable that Khamzat Chimaev wants to fight Jon Jones and is confident in his ability to defeat the UFC icon, Jones doesn’t seem to be interested in the bout, therefore it’s possible that this battle will never happen. Khamzat might make a comeback appearance in UFC 300 following his recuperation.
