Khamzat Chimaev will be in pole position for a welterweight title shot if he beats Nate Diaz at UFC 279 - but could pass up the opportunity.
Chimaev, 28, fights Diaz in Las Vegas on Saturday in what is the final fight of Diaz’s contract before he leaves the UFC having spent 15 years fighting for the promotion. The bookies have Chimaev has a huge favourite in the fight, with fans accusing the UFC of sacrificing Diaz in his final fight.
The 170lb title recently changed hands when Leon Edwards came from behind to knockout Kamaru Usman in the dying moments of their title fight. A trilogy fight between the pair is expected to be held once Usman recovers from the loss, which has made Chimaev eye a move up to middleweight.
“If they want to do it, for me no problem,” Chimaev told ESPN about a potential trilogy between Edwards and Usman. "I’m going to take some other fight, and we will see what’s happening. Maybe Israel Adesanya or the other guy, [Alex] Pereira. Who wins that, maybe fight with them. I don’t know.”
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Middleweight champion Adesanya is scheduled to make the sixth defence of his belt against former kickboxing rival Pereira in November. Adesanya has virtually cleared out all of the top 185lb contenders and Chimaev has previously teased a return to middleweight for a fight with 'Stylebender'.
Usman's loss to Edwards marked the first time he's been knocked out in his professional career. UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov recently expressed his concern for Usman after the defeat and Chimaev doesn't think the former champion will be the same fighter ever again.
"It was a crazy fight, good fight,” he continued. “I learned a lot of things about that fight. [Usman] was too much high up: ‘I’m gonna fight with Canelo,’ and he got shot. He wasn’t being focused I don’t think he’ll be the same guy again in the mind. We’ve seen a lot of champions thinking no one can beat them, because he defend so many times, now [he’s]unbeatable and bam, somebody knock you out. Now you know you’re human, as well.”
Chimaev is still open to facing Usman despite his loss, adding: "If it will happen, it will be a big fight. Everyone want to see that fight, because he’s almost the same kind of fighter like me. Good wrestling, good boxing, but his grappling is terrible. Leon Edwards took him down, take his back. If I take his back, I squeeze off his head. Everyone wants to see that fight.”
