“He Said ‘No’ Because” – UFC Insider Daniel Cormier Reveals Why Colby Covington & Other Welterweights Are Ducking Khamzat Chimaev

Khamazat Chimaev in a recent Instagram post claimed that he has been offered four different opponents in four different countries but nobody wanted to fight him. This statement by the Swedish Welterweight left fans intrigued and wondering who these four names could be.

Daniel Cormier, on his YouTube channel, discussed the situation surrounding Khamzat and threw a couple of names from the Welterweight division that could have received a call from the UFC. He speculates the reasons that could have led them to say no to a fight with Chimaev while also giving his opinion on what the third-ranked Welterweight should do to propel himself to be one of the best.

Daniel Cormier gives his take on why nobody in the Welterweight division wants a fight with Khamzat Chimaev

Khamzat has been aiming to book a fight since he last beat Kevin Holland at UFC 279. After a dominant performance that saw him finish Holland in the first round, he has naturally found it challenging to book a fight. 

As a response to Chimaevs’s claim that he was offered four different opponents, Former UFC double weight champion Daniel Cormier named Colby Covington and Belal Muhammad as potential names who might have received the call from UFC. He seemed especially interested in a Colby vs Chimaev matchup. “Colby Covington, that’s the fight, And I’ve always thought this was the fight. Because if he fights Colby Covington, it would show us where he truly stands in the welterweight division.” mentioned Cormier.

He also added that he thinks Colby might have been offered the fight by the promotion. Cormier then goes on to claim that the former interim Welterweight champion probably has his eyes set on a potential title bout against Leon Edwards.

“Do I believe Colby got the call? Absolutely. “What’s the reason behind Colby Covington saying, ‘no?’ I don’t know. Maybe the guy’s looking at the division knowing he’s lost twice to Usman. Seeing Leon Edwards as champion and going ‘Wait a minute, what if I’m next? What if all I gotta do is win one fight, and it’s not Chimaev?” stated the former Olympic wrestler.

Another name that cropped out was Belal Muhammad. DC said it could be the potential title fight that Belal could get in the future that might have made him back out from facing Chimaev. Talking about the fourth-ranked Welterweight Cormier states: “He looked as impressive as he ever has against Sean Brady, a guy nobody wanted to fight. Belal cleaned him out, made him look like they weren’t even on the same level. So, why not Belal? So if he said ‘no,’ I imagine he said ‘no’ because the title fight seems closer than it ever was before”

Daniel Cormier on what Khamzat Chimaev needs to do to elevate himself as one of the best

As the UFC Hall of Famer discussed Khamzat and his probable matchups, he states that the three-time Swedish wrestling champion has to beat top-ranked names if he wanted to cement himself as an all-time great. “If Khamzat Chimaev truly wants to separate himself and go to the next level and show and prove that he is what everybody around him says he is.That he is what he says he is. He’s gotta beat dudes like this. The best of the very best.” expressed DC.

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He also believes that there’s value in fighting Chimaev right now rather than earlier when he was comparatively unknown meaning fighters should not have a reason to back out of a fight with the Swedish wrestler.

“That was the danger in fighting Chimaev in the beginning. When he was knocking everybody out in 10 seconds and he was walking through dudes. Nobody knew him. They know him now. So there’s value in the Chimaev fight.” voiced Cormier.

Read More: Khamzat Chimaev Blamed for His Own UFC Inactivity: “There Are Guys That Wanna Fight Chimaev”

Khamzat still remains without a fight getting booked even after multiple discussions as claimed by the Russian-born 28-year-old. The individuals that Daniel Cormier named could have been excellent match-ups for Chimaev to prove himself worthy of UFC gold but there has been no official announcement of any such match-ups. Will the UFC announce a fight for the 28-year-old with one of the top-ranked Welterweights very soon? Fans can only wait and watch.