Israel Adesanya vs. Khamzat Chimaev Kingdom Arena Rumors Lead to Calls of Title Shot for ‘Borz’

Published 02/21/2024, 11:05 AM EST

What if Khamzat Chimaev takes on Israel Adesanya for UFC Saudi Arabia? The news is exciting for anyone, especially for the fans of ‘The Stylebender’ who have been awaiting Izzy’s return. But is there a title shot for the winner of the fight?

Note that the idea is only speculative for many. A Saudi Arabia fight could be exactly what ‘Borz’ would want now that he’s moved to the UAE since the countries are rather close together. So if the fight does go down, what happens next? Here’s what UFC veteran Michael Bisping had to say.

Khamzat Chimaev might get his best shot yet

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Khamzat Chimaev moved to the middleweight division after winning his UFC 294 bout against Kamaru Usman. Since then, he’s been calling out fighters left, right and center. This includes former champion Sean Strickland and now, the current reigning champion, Dricus Du Plessis.

Interestingly, ‘Borz’ challenged ‘Stillknocks’ to a fight at UFC 300 before telling the world that he can’t fight during Ramadan which happens to be around the same time. Soon rumors about a Saudi Arabia bout against Adesanya took flight and Michael Bisping had views on it.

“. . .another thing to consider here with Israel Adesanya fighting Khamzat Chimaev is, let’s just imagine that Khamzat Chimaev wins that fight,” said Bisping, “If he beats Israel Adesanya, he’s going to fight for the belt that’s a fact okay? Simple as that. His resume would be undeniable. . . “

It only makes sense for ‘Borz’ to get a title shot next. Dana White, however, revealed to everyone in his Instagram story that the bout was “not happening.” It was all because of a fake poster that went viral to the extent that the head honcho had to step in. So what’s next on Khamzat Chimaev’s plate?

When can we see ‘Borz’ again?

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As mentioned before, Chimaev has refused to fight against Dricus Du Plessis or anyone for that matter at UFC 300. Moreover, even the champion, who was earlier enthusiastic about an April bout soon backed out on his statement. ‘Stillknocks’ had bigger priorities in mind soon after his win.

Watch This Story: Dana White Opens Up On UFC 300 Status After Powerslap 6

He went on record about how he would prefer the UFC focus on UFC South Africa instead of the April pay-per-view. For him, that would be a much bigger event and it stands to reason since he’s the first South African UFC champion.

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So in terms of big fights, a matchup between Chimaev and Adesanya would still make sense. This way, ‘Izzy’ gets a chance to reclaim the title that was once his, and ‘Borz’ finally gets the opportunity that he’s been asking for. Will either of them get it going?

Photo: UFC Star Israel Adesanya Spotted Training With Bayley’s Injured Best-Friend

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Written by:

Prit Chauhan is a UFC writer at EssentiallySports. His portfolio shows him as the go-to event coverage writer at ES and his work on UFC 297 is proof of the same. As an experienced writer and a longtime MMA fan, Prit’s strong suit lies in telling the relatively unknown and more personal stories of fights and fighters.

Edited by:

Gokul Pillai

Israel Adesanya vs. Khamzat Chimaev Kingdom Arena Rumors Lead to Calls of Title Shot for ‘Borz’

Khamzat Chimaev might get his best shot yet

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When can we see ‘Borz’ again?