Khamzat Chimaev has been quiet lately, but silence rarely means stillness for ‘Borz.’ The undefeated middleweight champion, who bulldozed Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 319 to claim the belt, is now plotting his next move. After recently calling out Alex Pereira following his first-round knockout win over Magomed Ankalaev, Chimaev seems to be sharpening his tools again and lending them to an old friend.

That’s where Arman Tsarukyan comes in! The lightweight contender is set to headline UFC Qatar against Dan Hooker on November 22, marking his return to action after a back injury forced him out of his title shot against Islam Makhachev at UFC 311. But this time, Tsarukyan isn’t walking alone. Rumors of Chimaev joining his camp have swirled, and Tsarukyan just confirmed that the Chechen juggernaut might be heading to his corner to help him prepare for ‘The Hangman’!

Arman Tsarukyan reveals “200-pound” Khamzat Chimaev is ready to jump into his UFC Qatar camp

In a candid chat on ‘The Ariel Helwani Show,’ Tsarukyan couldn’t help but laugh while revealing Chimaev’s relentless enthusiasm to train with him. He confessed, “I hope so. Yeah, he wants to come and help me. But I’m saying that Khamzat your weight is like more than 200 pounds, you’re gonna hurt me. No.. No.. He’s gonna come and help me. And he has always asked me like, ‘When should I come? And if you need sparring partners, just let me know. I’m gonna send everybody from Chechnya to help you.”

It’s a glimpse into the camaraderie that binds two of the UFC’s most dangerous men, one a marauding middleweight champion, the other a surging lightweight contender. For Arman Tsarukyan, that kind of support is more than symbolic. After all, his last year has been a whirlwind. An 8-1 stretch catapulted him into a title shot against Islam Makhachev at UFC 311, a chance to avenge his debut loss.

But fate had other plans. A back injury struck just 48 hours before fight night, forcing him to withdraw. Now, against Dan Hooker, redemption beckons. ‘The Hangman,’ too, has his own demons to exorcise. The Kiwi brawler hasn’t fought since UFC 305 in Perth, where he edged out Mateusz Gamrot by split decision.

Since then, hand injuries have kept him sidelined, halting his climb up the lightweight ladder. As such, Khamzat Chimaev’s addition to Tsarukyan’s camp just might be the difference maker in this fight, after all, it was the lightweight contender who helped ‘Borz’ train for his clash against Dricus Du Plessis!

However, Chimaev’s sudden reappearance does add an intriguing subplot. In an interview with ‘Submission Radio,’ Ali Abdelaziz shared, “If Khamzat would have fought in October, it would have been Reinier de Ridder fighting Khamzat. But Khamzat said he is gonna fight next year.”

For now, though, ‘Borz’ seems content to play coach or perhaps a sparring partner in Tsarukyan’s camp. Yet, he’s still in the crosshairs of a former middleweight champion who has made a bold claim about his chances against the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev!

Gaps in Chimaev’s armor exposed by Sean Strickland with a bold callout

Sean Strickland, the former middleweight champion and self-proclaimed truth-teller of the UFC, has reignited his feud with ‘Borz.’ In his own words, he’s the only man who can beat him. Coming off a loss to Dricus du Plessis in his last outing, Strickland sits at No. 3 in the middleweight rankings, still hunting for redemption. His next target?

Speaking to MMA Junkie, he confessed, “I imagine me and ‘Fuffy’ might be going at it, I don’t know, dude. I’d imagine that’s the fight to make. I want to fight that little Chechen w—, so that’s kind of where I’m at. I want to fight somebody like Fluffy. Fluffy puts me in title contention.”

The goal is clear: dominate Anthony Hernandez, reclaim his momentum, and punch his ticket to a rematch with the undefeated Chechen champion. But this isn’t just business, it’s personal. According to Strickland, “I want to fight Chimaev. And you know, a lot of it feels like a personal vendetta because I’m the only f— one that beats Chimaev. Chimaev knows this. His camp knows this. Everybody f—- knows this, dude. “

The two men once trained together at Xtreme Couture, and according to Strickland, those sessions revealed Chimaev’s limits as he further pointed out, “For one round, the guy can grapple. For one round, dude. Once you get over that one round of scramble, he just quits.”

Yet, isn’t that what many have tried and failed to prove? So, Khamzat Chimaev may be sitting on the sidelines, but his shadow still looms over two divisions. Whether it’s coaching Arman Tsarukyan or fending off verbal jabs from Sean Strickland, ‘Borz’ remains the storm everyone’s watching. Tsarukyan’s UFC Qatar main event could mark the start of his own redemption arc, powered by Chimaev’s guidance. But Strickland’s fiery claim that he’s the only man who can break the undefeated Chechen adds fuel to a rivalry that refuses to die down!