Dana White Unsure If Khamzat Chimaev Will Get Ranked Opponent But ‘Working On That’
Khamzat Chimaev will be back in action soon. Whether it’s against a ranked opponent remains to be seen for now.
Chimaev made a big splash in the UFC since debuting last month with two dominant victories in the space of 10 days. He is now eager to go again at UFC 252 which takes place August 15 and Dana White is more than receptive to the idea.
But despite previously acknowledging Chimaev may even be ready for the ranked welterweights, White remains unsure at the moment if that will actually happen. However, he is still working on a fight for the 26-year-old.
“I don’t know. I don’t know if that’s the case but we’re working on that right now,” White told TSN when asked if he would get a ranked opponent (via BJ Penn). “This guy wants to fight every weekend. He wants to fight every weekend. I love guys like that. So I gotta figure that side out first.”
White: Ranked Fighters Should Want To Face Chimaev
Given the nature of Chimaev’s victories as well as his grappling style, it wouldn’t be a surprise if some ranked welterweights preferred not to face him, especially with him being unranked at the moment.
But as far as White is concerned, rankings shouldn’t matter and given how high Chimaev’s stock is right now, fighters should want to step up and face him next.
“No. Listen man, this is the fight business. If you think you belong in the top-15 then a guy who isn’t ranked should not be a concern of yours,” White added.
“Plus, the guy’s picked up so much traction and has become so famous so fast that it’s a good fight to take. Hopefully, you’re the guy who is going to be the first to stop him. Those are the guys I want to talk to. I want to talk to the guys that want to be the first to stop Khamzat (Chimaev). His Instagram has grown 15,000 percent.”
Do you agree with White?
