Stephen Thompson Not Interested In Fight Against Khamzat Chimaev
Ever since Khamzat Chimaev knocked out Gerald Meerschaert at UFC Vegas 11, the UFC have been trying to book him against a ranked opponent. However, it seems that the task to find Chimaev an opponent is more difficult than it seems. The UFC already had a plan to book Chimaev vs Maia for Fight Island but it now seems that the fight fell through.
A report by Combate came out and said that the UFC are interested in booking Stephen Thompson vs Khamzat Chimaev for the main event slot on December 19, president Dana White came out and confirmed the fight has been offered to Wonderboy, “We’ve offered it to Wonderboy.” White also added that Wonderboy is interested in a fight against Leon Edwards, “Wonderboy wants to fight Leon Edwards.”””
Reporter Ariel Helwani tweeted that the UFC were indeed interested in making that fight, between Thompson and Chimaev, happen in December but Wonderboy is not “interested” in it. Thompson has been looking to return to the octagon for the first time since his victory over Vicente Luque at Madison Square Garden in November, however it seems he is interested in someone ranked above him as he looks to try and earn a third title opportunity.
Khamzat Chimaev has been on a tear ever since his UFC debut at Fight Island 1, finishing all his opponents while jumping between the Welterweight division and the Middleweight division. Chimaev has been very vocal in trying to get a next fight, he even claimed he would stop both the Welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and the Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. Chimaev has now called out Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, Kamaru Usman, Israel Adesanya, Stephen Thompson and many more. The UFC now believe Chimaev is ready for a big step up in competition and are looking at giving him a main event slot in December.
Who do you think Chimaev should fight next?
