Khamzat Chimaev has been bulldozing his way through the UFC roster and beating everybody the promotion put in his path. Because of this, Michael Bisping expects the undefeated star to win gold before the end of the year.
‘Borz’ shared an interest in competing for an incredible three titles during his time with the UFC, claiming that all welterweights, middleweights, and light heavyweights are unsafe from his wrath. While he’s never fought at 205lbs, the prospect has on multiple occasions competed at both 170lbs and 185lbs.
While predicting champions for the end of 2023, Michael Bisping insisted that though he believes Leon Edwards is an incredible athlete, he expects Khamzat Chimaev to dethrone the champion and start his first title reign in the UFC.
“I’m all about Leon Edwards and I’m team Leon for sure. He’s got a tough fight in Kamaru Usman, one that I do believe he can win and has a very good chance of winning… However, the problem for Leon, and I’m not saying he can’t beat them, is that the top 5, and in fact, the majority of the top 10 at welterweight are all very, very strong, technical grapplers. And being predominantly a striker, that’s a problem for Leon… Eventually, I think someone’s gonna get it done… The one that I think is going to be standing with the belt will be Khamzat Chimaev. That’s the guy.”
Leon Edwards is reportedly going to make the first defense of the title when the UFC visits London on March 18. Although no opponent has been confirmed, all signs seem to be pointing towards Kamaru Usman, despite the former champion having a problem with his hand.
Check out what Michael Bisping had to say about the welterweight title picture in the video below:
Why is Khamzat Chimaev not scheduled to fight?
Khamzat Chimaev has been desperately searching for a fight and wants to get back into the octagon to once again prove to fans why they should jump aboard the hype train following his weight hiccup at UFC 279.
Last time out, the 28-year-old made Kevin Holland look amateur as he earned a brabo choke submission less than halfway through the first round. So, why hasn’t he fought since?
According to Chimaev himself, fighters around his ranking are all refusing to fight him. As he is likely just one win away from a title shot, the European fighter isn’t interested in facing lower-ranked athletes.