LAS VEGAS – Dana White has all but declared Khamzat Chimaev the No. 1 contender if he can emerge victorious at UFC 279.
Chimaev (11-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) meets Nate Diaz (20-13 MMA, 18-12 UFC) in the main event on Sept. 10 and with a win, the unbeaten star should secure a shot at the the welterweight title – particularly if champion Kamaru Usman successfully defends against Leon Edwards on Saturday at UFC 278 in Salt Lake City.
“It’s fair,” White told reporters, including MMA Junkie, on Tuesday night. “I don’t ever do that sh*t, but yeah, it’s fair to say if he wins, that’s the fight to make. (Usman has) already beat everybody twice in the top whatever, so yeah, that makes sense.”
Usman (20-1 MMA, 15-0 UFC) stated his intentions of jumping two weight classes and challenging for the light heavyweight title if he gets past Edwards. While White doesn’t agree with the move, he thinks Usman has earned the right to do what he wants.
“You know what doesn’t make sense? 205. But you know what? Look what the guy has done. He said, ‘I want to go fight at 205.’ What am I gonna do? What am I gonna tell him, right? Why would you not give him the opportunity?”
White knows how big a fight between Usman and Chimaev would be but thinks everyone is making a mistake by underestimating both Edwards and Diaz.
“I did a bunch of media today, and everybody’s counting Nate Diaz out,” White said. “These are the kind of stories – it’s almost like you just saying to me earlier, it’s like people are counting Leon Edwards out. You can’t count anybody out. In this sport, you never know what’s going to happen. Anything is possible.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 279.
