UFC welterweight contender, Khamzat Chimaev, and the former 170-pound champion, Kamaru Usman, seemed to have cryptically agreed to compete against one another on social media.
Nothing is confirmed here, but if they both want it, then why not? Naturally, betting odds have blossomed for such an occasion.
Online gambling site SportsBetting.ag has the 12-0 undefeated Chimaev listed as the betting favorite here with a moneyline of -175. Throwing a $100 on those odds stands to see a potential return of $157.14. As for Usman, he is currently being offered up with an underdog value of +150. Dropping a hundo on the previous title holder could win you a total payout of $250 if successful.
Sure, Chimaev has tasted defeat versus the scale, but other than that he’s been able to pass every test put in front of him thus far. If he gets past the former champ (and the weigh-in), a title shot is all but guaranteed. On the other side of this narrative, Usman is looking to rebound after being knocked out by Leon Edwards to lose his belt, and then dropping a decision in his immediate rematch. If this is the next matchup for Kamaru, then kudos to him because I’m not sure if there’s a more difficult bounce back fight out there than Chimaev.
Betting odds for Khamzat Chimaev vs. Kamaru Usman
Surging UFC contender Khamzat Chimaev does not currently have a fight booked, and recently, ‘Borz’ appeared to hit out at the promotion for this. He claimed that he’s simply waiting for a fight to be offered to him.
One opponent that Chimaev has been linked with on multiple occasions is former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.
‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ held the title from 2019 to 2022, when he was dethroned by Leon Edwards. He recently failed to regain his title in a rematch with ‘Rocky’ earlier this year.
Usman recently expressed an interest in fighting ‘Borz’, stating that the fight could “headline a pay-per-view”. However, he was almost immediately told by Dana White that the fight would need to take place at either 170lbs or 185lbs rather than any kind of catchweight.
Regardless of the weight, it appears that Khamzat Chimaev is down for the fight. He recently took to Twitter to accept Usman’s callout by posting a simple tick next to the former champ’s handle.
Since then, he’s gone even further still. In a threatening but respectful message, Chimaev had the following to say on Twitter.