Many fight fans have believed for some time that the question has been when will Khamzat Chimaev become the UFC middleweight champion rather than will he claim the top spot at 185-pounds. If there’s one thing that has significantly hurt his progress in recent years, it has been his lack of activity.
In both 2023 and 2024, “Borz” only stepped foot inside the Octagon on one occasion but he has remained undefeated meaning that whilst his momentum does feel a lot more muted than it once was, he’s becoming more undeniable with each performance. This is especially true for his one fight this past year where he submitted former champion Robert Whittaker in the first round at UFC 308 to pick up his biggest and most terrifying win to date.
Chimaev was seemingly the favorite to challenge the champion Dricus Du Plessis in what will be the titleholder’s second title defense but the UFC went with the Sean Strickland rematch that will take place at UFC 312 next month. With Chimaev holding the #3-spot in the rankings, it still seems likely that he will face the winner unless Israel Adesanya is able to get back into the win column this past weekend with a Strickland rematch for the title making a lot of sense if the reign of Du Plessis comes to an end in Australia.
The 30-year old boogeyman of the division seemingly doesn’t care who he faces for the belt once his opportunity finally arrives. Chimaev posted on social media to make his intentions crystal clear for the year ahead. He wants this to be the year that he goes from undeniable to undisputed.
“2025 I will take this belt InShAllah, and no one can stop it”
