Khamzat Chimaev has been inactive for almost 10 months now. He’s been asking to fight for some time now but hasn’t found an opponent. However, the Swedish star may have stumbled upon the identity of his next UFC opponent. An online MMA sleuth shared a post claiming that ‘Borz’s coach may have played spoilers.

Khamzat Chimaev’s last fight ended being a catchweight bout against Kevin Holland, which he won. Following that fight, Dana White announced that the Swedish star will be moving up to the middleweight division due to his difficulties in cutting weight for welterweight bouts. Now we may have a hint at his first middleweight opponent.

The coach of Khamzat Chimaev hinted at his next opponent

Chimaev’s coach, Azamat Dugulubgov, was present at UFC 290 to support his other fighter, Jalin Turner, for his bout against Dan Hooker. He was there at the airport after the PPV event, but his flight was delayed. Meanwhile, during the time waiting for his flight to arrive, Dugulubgov decided to study Khamzat Chimaev’s next opponent. However, he accidentally made a mistake.

He likely erred by sharing an Instagram story of the likely opponent that was later shared by Khamzat Chimaev. Despite Dugulubgov’s effort to obscure the fighter on his screen, MMA aficionados were able to pinpoint the exact matching frame. The blurred figure appears to be the long-time middleweight contender Jared Cannonier.

Khamzat had earlier expressed his desire to fight former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. However, Dana White didn’t like the idea of a catchweight bout. Meanwhile, when Cannonier was asked about fighting Chimaev, he laid down one condition for that fight to happen.

Jared Cannonier’s condition to fight ‘Borz’

Recognizing that this could be his last chance to become champion, Cannonier faces a tough challenge with Khamzat Chimaev, who is still unranked at middleweight. Despite knowing it will be a grueling battle, Cannonier said he will accept the matchup provided that it guarantees him a shot at the title if he wins. He spoke about it at the media scrum following his decision victory over Marvin Vettori last month.

Jared Cannonier has only lost to champions Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker since 2018. Sitting at number 3 in the middleweight rankings, ‘The Killa Gorilla’ is setting his sights on a second title bid. He is already 39 years old and is seemingly at the closing stages of his career.

READ MORE: Amid Dana White’s Reluctance for Their Fight, Hopeful Kamaru Usman Reveals Core Reason on Khamzat Chimaev Bout Complications – “Not Necessarily on My End”

There has been so much speculation regarding who Khamzat Chimaev’s next opponent will be. It remains to be seen if ‘Borz’ really takes on Jared Cannonier in his first middleweight bout. However, it is unlikely that there will be a title implication in the fight, given that he is still yet to be ranked in the division.

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