Opinion: Khamzat Chimaev the Way to Go for the UFC

Editor’s note: The views and opinions expressed below are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Sherdog.com, its affiliates and sponsors or its parent company, Evolve Media.

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In what was one of the better cards of the year, UFC 308 proved to be an event where a changing of the guard became the theme. The main event saw Ilia Topuria become the first man to finish the previously indestructible Max Holloway with strikes, while the co-headliner produced Khamzat Chimaev delivering a painful face crank to Robert Whittaker that will require extensive dental work for the former middleweight champion.

With the emphatic first round victory, Chimaev did everything within his power to upend the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s present plans to provide a rematch between Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland for the middleweight title. The first match between Du Plessis and Strickland was a close contest that could have gone either way depending on the angle in which you saw the fight, but it was also fought on a slow burn and never truly got into full gear. As a result, there has been little—if any—clamoring for a rematch outside of the Strickland fanboys.

Given the simmer of the first contest, I would think the UFC would be happy to find an alternative to a Du Plessis-Strickland rematch. Sure, Strickland has a loyal following of fans that find his abrasive nature towards the liberal side of the political landscape to be an absolute delight, but it’s a niche following that isn’t going to translate to an exceptional number of pay-per-view buys above the standard fare. Given the mythical status Chimaev gives off when he’s at full strength, it’s hard to believe he wouldn’t be better for the bottom dollar than Strickland.

And yet, Chimaev may have undercut himself when he said he would be willing to wait for a title shot. It’s hard to believe he isn’t going to eventually receive that opportunity, but is Strickland’s case for a rematch so ironclad that Chimaev wouldn’t be able to push the former champion out of the way? Strickland did beat Paulo Costa after losing his belt to Du Plessis, but a win over the hulking Brazilian isn’t what it once was given that he has lost four of his last five bouts. A victory over Whittaker? That’s a hell of a lot more valuable, especially when Chimaev managed to finish Whittaker and Strickland couldn’t put Costa away over five rounds.

Perhaps Chimaev sees it as though he’s being a good company man for the UFC by holding off on rattling his cage. After all, Strickland being a good company man likely played a big part in his receiving his title shot against Israel Adesanya when he laid claim to UFC gold. However, given Chimaev has barely fought more than once a year since exploding onto the scene in 2020, I find it foolish that he wouldn’t attempt to schedule himself as soon as possible given his propensity for falling out of fights. Does anyone else think there’s a good chance Chimaev will have to pull out of the next fight for which he’s scheduled? The more often Chimaev is scheduled, the better the chances of him making it to the cage with greater frequency. Then again, perhaps Chimaev recognizes the UFC has leverage behind him if he proves to be too much of a pain in the ass. Beyond Strickland, Nassourdine Imavov has compiled a resume worthy of a title shot following wins over Roman Dolidze, Jared Cannonier and Brendan Allen within this calendar year.

Imavov doesn’t have the name value of Strickland or Chimaev. However, there’s a chance Imavov could wiggle his way into the picture should the UFC deem Strickland and/or Chimaev too big for their britches should they try to throw some weight around. If not Imavov, perhaps Caio Borralho, depending on whoever is most readily available. It’s not like the UFC isn’t above throwing someone under the bus in the case of a slight, real or imagined.

What about Du Plessis’ preference? He didn’t exhibit a strong preference immediately after Chimaev decimated Whittaker. However, on the RadioRaps YouTube channel on Wednesday, he stated very clearly he thinks Chimaev is what the fight world prefers. Du Plessis’ exact words: “I think the whole world wants to see it. The fans ultimately pay to watch the fights, so the fight the world thinks is the best next fight, that’s what I want. So I think the Khamzat fight is 100% what I want. The UFC is going to do what they’re going to do, but from a fan perspective and from a fighter’s perspective, I think Khamzat should get the next shot.”

With that that said, the solution in my mind appears to be pretty simple. Chimaev is the man. He’s the hot new property on the block—again—and the UFC should capitalize on that as soon as possible by booking him with Du Plessis. However, it would be foolish to not prepare for the likelihood of Chimaev pulling out of the contest. Thus, preferably on the same card, book Strickland against either Imavov or Borralho in a title eliminator. If it can’t be on the same card, a week or two after the title fight would probably suffice. Should Chimaev be forced to pull out, Strickland gets his rematch with Du Plessis by stepping in. Obviously, it wouldn’t be ideal if Chimaev is unable to show up, but it can’t be too terrible if Strickland was the UFC’s original plan.

I’ll be the first to acknowledge there’s things behind the scenes that could prevent the fans’ preferred scenario, even if the UFC makes a serious effort to implement it. Surgeries, VISA issues, personal matters—there’s a long list. Thus, while I believe the UFC either already wants Chimaev to be fighting for the title next or will cave to that pressure, I also can’t guarantee it happens. All I can hope is the UFC does everything in their power to do so. Unfortunately, given that the company’s nature can lean towards the petty, I can’t assure we’ll see that.