Khamzat Chimaev rules out UFC 300 return amid links to title headliner: ‘I’m not fighting during Ramadan’
Unbeaten middleweight contender, Khamzat Chimaev appears to have firmly ruled himself out of the running to take main event honors at UFC 300 in April, following reports earlier today that the promotion’s “top choice” for the event’s headliner would see the Chechen challenger rival, Leon Edwards for the undisputed welterweight title.
Chimaev, the current number nine ranked middleweight contender, has been sidelined since he co-headlined UFC 294 back in October in Abu Dhabi, UAE, landing a close, majority decision win over former undisputed champion, Kamaru Usman.
Making his middleweight division return, Chimaev had most recently forced a catchweight fight with Kevin Holland on short notice, having missed weight by seven and a half pounds for a planned headliner with Nate Diaz at UFC 279 back in late 2022.
And staking his claim for a title fight with Dricus du Plessis or Sean Strickland ahead of UFC 297 last month, Chimaev voiced his displeasure with promotional boss, Dana White, claiming the long-time head honcho had broken a “guaranteed” promise of a title fight for him next.
With time running thin on the promotion inking an April headliner for their UFC 300 card, MMA reporter, Ariel Helwani revealed today that the promotion’s “top choice” for the event’s headliner would see Chimaev fight the aforenoted, Edwards for welterweight gold in a rescheduled bout, however, the former’s association with Chechen warlord, Ramzan Kadyrov proved a significant roadblock to Chimaev’s ability to travel to and compete in the United States.
Khamzat Chimaev rules out UFC 300 return
However, in the hours following Helwani’s revelation, Chimaev has entirely distanced himself from a return at UFC 300, claiming he will not be competing inside the Octagon during the religious period of Ramadan.
Do you think Khamzat Chimaev will make an unexpected return at UFC 300?
