Who should Khamzat Chimaev fight next in the UFC? Now 3-0 in the promotion after joining in July, Dana White has confirmed that Chimaev will be fighting in a five-round main event in his next bout against an unknown opponent. The only thing that has been assured at this stage is that Chimaev will be facing a ranked fighter.
Reports of a fight between Chimaev and Stephen Thompson began circulating over the weekend but these rumors were quickly shut down by “Wonderboy,” who responded by saying that the fight doesn’t make sense for him right now.
“No, I’m not fighting him, man,” Thompson said during a recent YouTube live stream. “I mean, it just doesn’t make sense for me at this point. I’m ranked No. 5 to fight a guy who is unranked? You know what I mean… I fought a lot of guys to get to where I’m at. And a lot of other fighters fought a lot of guys to get where they’re at so I don’t see why it’s okay for him to jump past everybody.”
So, if Chimaev isn’t facing Wonderboy, then who should he fight next?
Here’s what Patrick Auger, Matthew Wells, and Drake Riggs want to see:
– Wells would like to see Chimaev fight Neil Magny.
– Riggs calls for the “Wonderboy” fight.
– Auger says that Derek Brunson would be a good opponent for Chimaev right now.
Who would you like to see Khamzat Chimaev fight next? Let us know in the comments below!
Patrick is a consultant turned journalist who loves the fight game and everything to do with it. Focusing on the politics, business, and general state of MMA are his mainstays, though he'll dabble in analysis and best bets when he can. He also enjoys football, basketball, baseball, and great jokes in general so feel free to reach out and berate him on social media whenever you disagree with him.
Drake Riggs is an MMA writer based out of Brush Prairie, Washington, USA who specializes in feature pieces, the women's fight scene, lists, news coverage, and rankings. He has been a passionate fan of MMA ever since 2009. Drake has most notably written for BJPenn.com, FanSided, The Body Lock, South China Morning Post, MyMMANews, Cageside Press, Sherdog, The Scrap, and MMA Today. He has also written for and created video content for RT Sport. As for other sports, Drake is a longtime fan of the NFL's Green Bay Packers and Jacksonville Jaguars.You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram: @DrakeRiggs_ . Also check out all of his video content on YouTube at: "Drake Riggs" where he uploads fighter interviews, podshows, and various other types of content.
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