Reports surrounding a potential Khamzat Chimaev vs. Colby Covington clash are heating up. The Swede has insisted that if the fight comes to fruition, he’s going to leave the American sleeping for a “long time”.
‘Chaos’ fought just once in 2022 and managed to score a dominant victory over long-term rival Jorge Masvidal. However, it was the aftermath of the fight that has kept the wrestler out of action for so long.
Following the bout in March, ‘Gamebred’ spotted the welterweight out in public and assaulted him, causing a tooth fracture.
During a recent interview, Khamzat Chimaev broke down the potential brawl against Colby Covington and believes he can finish his opponent wherever the fight takes place.
“Colby [Covington], I can take him down, submit him, I can knock him out. [Kamaru] Usman dropped him, [Jorge] Masvidal dropped him, so why not me? If I punch him, he will no come up. He will sleep there long time.”
‘Borz’ has showcased just how well-versed he has been since making his debut in the UFC back in 2020. Aside from his three-round war against Gilbert Burns, the prospect has managed to finish each opponent he has faced, with just one of those making it out of the first round.
According to Dana White, Colby Covington is ready to return to action and the UFC president is keen to book him against the European prodigy in an affair that would likely be a number-one contender bout.
Check out what Khamzat Chimaev had to say about his potential next opponent:
Khamzat Chimaev’s push for champ-champ status
Khamzat Chimaev has been vocal about his goals in the sport for years, and has consistently been calling for fights against both Kamaru Usman and Israel Adesanya when the two were champions.
Now, both the welterweight and middleweight divisions have new kings. Despite Leon Edwards and Alex Pereira being elite-level competitors, they are both arguably easier matchups for the freestyle wrestler.
Imposing his grappling on the two champions would likely be much easier now, since both Edwards and Pereira are primarily known as strikers. If both titleholders manage to retain their belts in the near future, the 28-year-old could be on his way to champ-champ status.
Chimaev is most probably just one win away from title contention and could find himself stepping into the octagon to compete for a UFC championship sometime in 2023.