The next big PPV of the summer is approaching fast, as Khamzat Chimaev finally gets his hands on a title shot against Dricus du Plessis. The highly anticipated middleweight clash is sure to deliver, but what if it doesn’t? Well, Chimaev’s documented instances of pulling out have a certain section of the fight community concerned about the main event plans falling through. That is where Dana White’s backup plans come into play.

Dana White’s recent PPVs have gone as planned, with no replacement fighters needed for any of the big events, save for UFC 311. So, it’s quite unlikely that it will happen at the next PPV. But a lot of people are worried about Khamzat Chimaev’s past. Recently, Nassourdine Imavov said he was the backup fighter for UFC 319, but then he changed his mind and wanted to fight Caio Borralho, saying that UFC didn’t meet his “conditions.”

“No backup anymore. Conditions changed. You wanted to talk son, I’m here, I’m gonna break you [Caio Borralho],”

Nassourdine Imavov wrote on social this past June. However, Caio Borralho claims that the Frenchman was lying all along. In fact, Dana White and Co. never had Imavov’s name in mind for the backup role. Claiming that it’s he who’s going to reprise that role at UFC 319 for the Khamzat Chimaev vs Dricus du Plessis headliner, the Brazilian claimed that his French counterpart upset Dana White and Co. due to his many ‘conditions’.

“He was never the backup. Actually, there was never a conversation about it with the UFC because UFC knows he’s a hard guy to deal with,” Caio Borralho told Submission Radio during a recent interview. “He’s a very spoiled guy. He wants all the conditions [to be] good for him.”

In fact, Caio Borralho also revealed that he and Nassourdine Imavov could have fought last month in June. However, the Frenchman’s reluctance led this fight to be rescheduled, and now they’ll face each other in France. And guess what? The fight taking place in his native country was one of Imavov’s conditions as well.

“We were supposed to fight in [Las] Vegas on International Fight Week, in June 17. I say yes right away when UFC called me and he said no, that he wanted to be backup,” Caio Borralho added. “They finally got this fight in the conditions that he wanted, like, in France, in his hometown in September, the day that he wanted to have some time to prepare, and all this s–t, you know.”

Well, while we’re worried about Khamzat Chimaev missing out on the UFC 319 fight, some are worried that there could be issues if he makes it to the PPV and wins the title. Why? Some experts envision a situation similar to that of Jon Jones. Let’s take a look at that front.

Khamzat Chimaev as champion will be a ‘disaster’, claims insider

Khamzat Chimaev could win the title, and there’s concern that his history of pulling out and making the UFC re-book fights could prove to be detrimental to the middleweight division. We’ve already seen how Jon Jones‘ declining to fight Tom Aspinall despite Dana White’s insistence on making the fight happen had the heavyweight title scene in a total lockdown. Analyst Din Thomas appears to be worried that Chimaev winning the belt could see his division’s title scene getting held up.

“I’m going to keep it hundred with you, if Khamzat wins, it’s a disaster, actually. [That’s] because you can’t tell me a part of you is just thinking this fight actually might not happen… It’s not because of Dricus,” Din Thomas stated in an interview with Mike Bohn. “[That’s] because we need movement. I hate when it’s just like, static. When there’s no movement in these divisions. And in order for there to be movement in the divisions, the champions have to fight.”

There are no signs right now that Khamzat Chimaev is in a medical emergency or that he is likely to pull out. If he wins at UFC 319, it will be the end of his MMA career, but it may also be the start of a new chapter in his life since he has put to rest speculations that he will retire soon. Please tell us what you think in the comments below.