UFC president Dana White has revealed plans to book Khamzat Chimaev as the co-main event for Leon Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman’s trilogy.
At UFC 280’s media day, White was interviewed by TheMacLife. The UFC president was asked about his plans with ‘Borz’ and not only dropped a potential timeline for his next fight but also a future opponent.
The interviewer pitched his idea for Khamzat Chimaev to face Colby Covington in a number one contenders bout, and that the fight should take place on the same card Leon Edwards defends his title against Kamaru Usman.
Dana White responded:
“I agree with you. Alright. I’m on it, I’ll get it done.”
Catch the full interview here:
Colby Covington has been dealing with the aftermath of the attack by Jorge Masvidal back in March. ‘Chaos’ was jumped outside a restaurant in Miami by Masvidal and is believed to have suffered several injuries. Covington pressed charges against his welterweight rival but is still expected to return to the UFC.
For Chimaev, the polarizing Chechen’s performance at UFC 279 was overshadowed by the controversy of the backstage brawl and his staggering 7.5lbs weight-miss. ‘Borz’ showed little remorse for his actions but dominated Kevin Holland in their catchweight bout for the victory.
Alex Pereira accuses Khamzat Chimaev of being scared to fight Paulo Costa
It has been over a month since UFC 279’s controversial fight week saw Khamzat Chimaev at the heart of the drama. ‘Borz’ was pictured getting into an altercation with middleweight contender Paulo Costa before scuffling backstage with Nate Diaz and Kevin Holland days later.
After the incident involving Chimaev and Costa, the pair looked destined to meet inside the octagon. The Chechen’s shocking weight-miss added further fuel to the fire about the 27-year-old making the step up to middleweight and ‘Borrachinha’ appeared ready to welcome him to the division.
Now, following the news that Khamzat Chimaev is likely to stay in the welterweight division and Costa is set to face Robert Whittaker, middleweight contender Alex Pereira stated that he “ran” when things had gotten real.
In an interview with Helen Yee, ‘Poatan’ said:
“Well, honestly, ‘Borrachinha’ called him [Khamzat Chimaev] out fair and square, you know, he ran. We actually don’t know if he’s really interested in those fights… He’s running from ‘Borrachinha’, ‘Borrachinha’ said, ‘I wanna fight you,’ and then backstage for the cameras he told everybody he was interested, but when the stuff became real, he ran.”
Catch the full interview here: