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Khamzat Chimaev did as much as was expected of him and then some, but super explosively, to win the UFC 185-pound gold at UFC 319. The ‘Borz’ is a pure machine, and champ Dricus Du Plessis found it hard to answer to him and his relentless pace at their PPV title headliner at United Center in Chicago.
The Chechen fighter is a machination, and was on a mission to give as little space and opportunity for 25 minutes. Peeling off either top mount, crucifix, side control, or back, Chimaev snagged quite the title-clinching victory. DDP bucked hard and swayed, had some guillotine counters, and threw hands, but proved meme worthy slipping and striking has nothing on the Wolf.
Now, top contenders are going to come in thick and fast for the newly minted 185-pound king, given it’s still nascent, and this is the first time Khamzat Chimaev has gone the 5-round experience. Here are the top options who can be his PPV maiden defense next.
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The winner of UFC Paris
Nassourdine Imavov vs. surging 185-pounder Caio Borralho takes the center stage and headlining spot at UFC Paris, September 6th, at Accor Arena in Paris. The #11-ranked high-octane promo dropper and gold aspirant Renato Moicano shone in the last Paris installment at UFC Fight Night 243. Now it’s up to two men who have been vying for championship gold for a while.
No.1-ranked Nassourdine Imavov (that is, until the Weekly Update of Athletes’ Listings) was the backup fighter for the UFC 319 PPV main event. However, the ‘Sniper’ had it up to here with Team Fighting Nerd’s Borralho calling his work ethic into play.
Borralho wanted to fight the Frenchman and continue his stride as he was sitting stale, unbooked since last August. He said Imavov disregarded a call for a title eliminator during International Fight Week (since he was already poised for the top shot and No.1-ranked). Team Kill Cliff FC’s Imavov thus gave up his backup role for this grudge setting.
While they scrap for the middleweight spoils in just beyond a weeks’ time, Chimaev hinted post-fight he’s open to it.
A new breed War Horse vs. Khamzat Chimaev
The number six-ranked Borralho has made his ascent as a reckoning within the division and beat some hard-to-beat names in the process. Meanwhile, Imavov took care of former champ Israel Adesanya via second-round KO (punches) – about the 0:30 mark – at UFC Fight Night 250.
And to boot, both middleweights feel like top names able to pose some threats. Borralho has trained with Khamzat Chimaev before and said he had been taking notes, anticipating this someday. But a bigger, better wildcard that can actually pose more of a threat to Borz is Reinier de Ridder, and he’s ready for it.
Ex-ONE FC Champ RDR is a grappling ace and could be a stiff test to Chimaev’s skill set. Currently #5, Reinier de Ridder last defeated Robert Whittaker by the judges’ scores at UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. de Ridder this July. He’s 4-0 in the promotion since joining.
The Team Combat Brothers RDR also quipped recently that it’s an easy bet prepping for Khamzat Chimaev than DDP’s wild style. Safe to say the Dutchman and his camp are expecting this matchup as well. As such, this could be one big title fight to go to.
Same old, same old
Not slated but not unlikely either is that Khamzat Chimaev can have a PPV title rematch against Du Plessis. A man of few words, the fighter himself offered no hints on it post-fight. By demeanor, it might seem that he won’t give a chance. But he might; this was a dominant showing, but not a finish, and if anyone has the perks to call a shot, it’s the fighter who was champ even mere hours ago.
UFC CEO Dana White was impressed by the performance and call for a short turnaround. He acclimated to the sentiment that Chimaev could return for the UFC 321 PPV card in October. If so, that’d be a quick pitch for any champion. Previously, he logged the fastest three-fight win streak [T-1: 66 days] from UFC on ESPN 13 to UFC Fight Night 178, all in 2020.
DDP needs to heal, but again, a lack of finish and having made championship weight should make it easy. Now that he’s the champ and ushered in a new age at middleweight, it won’t be odd for Chimaev to be facing some rematches as ballot fights. It all could just start with one with Du Plessis.
