Din Thomas Calls Khamzat Chimaev’s UFC 319 Bluff to Double Down on “Disaster” Champ Claim

“Disaster.” That’s the word Din Thomas used to brand Khamzat Chimaev before his first championship bout at UFC 319. Fans already feared the veteran MMA coach’s warning might come true if ‘Borz’ managed to dethrone Dricus du Plessis in Chicago. But after claiming the middleweight crown, Chimaev flipped the narrative. Instead of basking in his victory, the new champ revealed a bold dream! He wanted a quick turnaround at UFC Abu Dhabi.

Inspired by teammate Baisangur Susurakaev’s four-day notice fight, ‘Borz’ declared at the UFC 319 presser his willingness to make a quick turnaround in Abu Dhabi. He said, “I just had a kid fight on Tuesday and wanted to turn around and come here. Abu Dhabi, I would definitely consider it.” However, after Dana White announced the UFC 321 card, it ended all the speculation! So, Din Thomas is back to remind fans that the 185 lbs title won’t be contested in October. 

Din Thomas aims at Khamzat Chimaev over missed UFC Abu Dhabi fight 

At the BohnFire podcast, Thomas stated, “What I’m saying, he’s a great fighter, but the idea of him being a great champion in terms of defending the belt a lot. I still don’t see it happening. And the fact that he said he wanted to fight in Abu Dhabi. And as soon as he said that, almost right afterwards, they booked Fluffy and Reinier de Ridder, and they knew that they had Caio Borralho and Imavov in a fight. So, that took him out of October automatically. So, I didn’t see any real authenticity in his fighting in October.”    

Thomas’s “disaster” comment originally referred to Chimaev’s inactivity, suggesting a title win could prove problematic for the promotion — a stance that sparked debate. Former champion Belal Muhammad pushed back, calling it “way off base,” arguing that Chimaev’s marketability would make him a boon for the UFC.

Honestly, Chimaev’s announcement about wanting to return in October was well received by the fans. But it always felt a little too good to be true. Sure, he took little damage in his fight with ‘DDP’ in Chicago, but the idea of turning around quickly for UFC 321 seemed unlikely from the start. Especially with a stacked headliner already in place featuring Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane, many fans doubted that the new 185 lbs king would actually make it to Abu Dhabi.

It’s official—UFC 321 is booked for October 25, 2025 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, headlined by Aspinall vs. Gane. With that heavyweight title fight and other championship bouts already confirmed, the middleweight belt is off the October table unless the promotion shuffles the card.

As Din Thomas pointed out, two key middleweight fights are already on the books: Caio Borralho vs. Nassourdine Imavov on September 6 and Reinier de Ridder vs. Anthony Hernandez on October 18. Dana White has made it clear that these matchups will shape the next title defense for the division’s champion. 

With that timeline, it looks more realistic that Chimaev’s first defense won’t come until 2026. That reality pushes back on his earlier promise of fighting in Abu Dhabi, something de Ridder’s manager has already criticized as going back on his word to the fans.  

RDR’s manager trolls ‘Borz’ for not meeting Abu Dhabi promise  

The Dutchman has quickly established himself as a real contender after defeating Robert Whittaker in the last Abu Dhabi headliner. Even Joe Rogan pointed out that Reinier de Ridder’s knee strikes could pose serious problems for Khamzat Chimaev. Recognizing that, de Ridder’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, didn’t hold back from taking shots at the reigning middleweight champion, revealing that Chimaev turned down a fight in the Middle East, which ultimately led to de Ridder’s matchup with Anthony Hernandez instead.

Speaking on Submission Radio, Ali explained: “If Khamzat would have fought in October, it would have been Reinier de Ridder fighting Khamzat. But Khamzat said he’s going to fight next year. They offered ‘Fluffy’ [Hernandez], and Reinier said, ‘You know what, I’m not gonna wait.’ So now he takes this fight, and it’s a very tough fight.”

From Ali’s comments, it’s clear that de Ridder’s camp was eager to clash with Chimaev on UAE soil. Possibly even targeting the co-main slot of UFC 321. But instead, they were left frustrated as Chimaev didn’t follow through on his early promise, choosing to step away until next year.

With that being said, do you think Borz was really in the right condition to fight again in October? Or could he have shared the stage with Tom Aspinall in Abu Dhabi or even headlined another event? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.