The Boogey Monsters (or Boogeyman) are mythical characters brought to life to discipline misbehaving children. But in the combat sports world, especially in the UFC, they’re as real as it gets! For the unversed, the term usually refers to fighters who are a nightmare for their opponents. Back in his prime, Tony Ferguson carried that reputation, and now, Khamzat Chimaev has taken up that mantle.

‘Borz’ is that 14-0 phenom who has ran through pretty much everyone in his path to earn that status. There have been many undefeated fighters worthy of being called Boogey Monsters. Still, Chimaev has struck fear not just in his former 170 lbs division or his current 185 lbs division, where he’s scheduled to fight for the title at UFC 319 in August. But his reign of terror extends to the 205 lbs division also, it seems.

Now, here’s a question: What did Khamzat do to make 205-pound fighters tremble in fear? Indeed, ‘Borz’ has never competed in the UFC’s light heavyweight division. But he once voiced his ambition to become a three-division champion, which included the 205 lbs weight class. In a 2023 interview with TNT Sports, via MMA Fighting, just before his UFC 294 clash with Kamaru Usman, Chimaev boldly stated, “All the champs are in my eye. I want to have my belts, at least three belts.”

This attitude of the future middleweight title challenger impressed Chael Sonnen very much. In his YouTube video, ‘The Bad Guy said: “So, I like the idea of even, but I like what Dricus is doing with this even more. I like that Dricus is pushing right around Chimaev. I mean, Chimaev has been the boogie monster in everybody’s closet at the 170 and 185 pounds. He started to creep into the dreams and nightmares of 205-pounders for a brief period of time there. Now, he’s saying 205 is safe, 170 you’re safe, and 185 I’m coming for all of you. And finding an opponent for Chimaev has been difficult. This guy has been a three-time number one contender. Three different times he won the match, and he needed to win! To earn himself a world title fight.”

Well, it’s definitely true that Khamzat has won crucial fights when it mattered most in both the 170 and 185-pound divisions. But when it comes to the 205 lbs weight class, giving him credit there is a bit of a stretch, especially since he’s never competed in the weight class. Still, the sentiment is clear: the Chechen native has proven to be an unstoppable force every time he’s stepped into the cage.

The champion, Dricus du Plessis, has looked more than ready to welcome the threat, and his recent callouts and jabs on X have made that clear. Recently, he also took a shot at Chimaev for pulling out of fights. That’s something even ‘The Bad Guy’ himself had to call out. Let’s see what happened. 

Chael Sonnen called out Dricus du Plessis for spreading a false rumor about Khamzat Chimaev

Dricus du Plessis isn’t just a brawler inside the Octagon, he’s also mastered the mental aspect of it. His words have rattled the likes of Sean Strickland and Israel Adesanya in the past, so it’s no surprise he’s once again aiming to get under his opponent’s skin. With Nassourdine Imavov announced as the official backup for UFC 319, du Plessis didn’t hold back. In a post by Championship Rounds on social media, the South African wrote, “Guess I’m fighting Nassourdine Imavov.”

That comment was a clear shot at Khamzat Chimaev’s history of pulling out of six different UFC fights, a concern that still lingers heading into the Chicago showdown. The UFC even named Imavov as a backup only fueled the narrative. However, Chael Sonnen believes du Plessis is simply stirring the pot.

In the YouTube video, Sonnen said: “That’s a little bit of a false rumor, that whole idea that Chimaev has had to pull out of a bunch of fights. When the pandemic hit, Chimaev never thought he was going to fight again. he was on a ventilator. In extreme cases such as that, I don’t know that five years later, we stick around and use that to pierce the veil of this guy’s immaculate credibility.”

There’s no doubt that Chimaev looks strong even coming off an injury. However, it’s also true that he faced some crucial setbacks just before his fights. His bouts against Leon Edwards, Paulo Costa, and Nate Diaz all showed the impact of illness, weight issues, and visa problems. Hopefully, none of that will be a factor in August.

With that said, what do you think? Will Khamzat Chimaev’s unblemished record continue at UFC 319? And will he still be the boogeyman at 205 lbs? Share your thoughts in the comment box below!