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UFC News: Khamzat Chimaev Receives His Toughest MW Challenge Yet as Top 5 Ranked Star Issues a Call-Out

Published 01/28/2024, 12:00 AM EST

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USA Today via Reuters

Khamzat Chimaev conveyed that he either wanted the belt or the money. In a recent interview, Chimaev said he wants double the money to have a big fight at middleweight. Well, perhaps now, he has a big money fight asking him to accept it. But is he going to prove scary enough against his potential opponent?

Chimaev has been rather eager, and it shows. He defeated Kamaru Usman at UFC 294 and not only kept his record clean but also showed he was championship material. Now a middleweight title challenger has shown interest in facing ‘Borz’.

Jared Cannonier wouldn’t mind facing Khamzat Chimaev

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‘Borz’ is back, and he’s taking names. He’s already called out Dricus Du Plessis and asked him to meet at UFC 300. But perhaps Jared Cannonier would like to have a go at the Chechen first. “He seems to be eager to fight people,” Cannonier told The Schmo. “If they don’t give me the champ when I comeback I’m more than happy to get that fight going again.” Cannonier currently stands at #4 in the middleweight rankings.

“Me versus the best. And if you don’t want to give me the best, give me whoever you feel like is next. Because I want to fight the champ. The belt is gonna be mine. It’s coming, it’s gonna happen soon.”

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‘Killa Gorilla’ is on a two-fight win streak against Sean Strickland and Marvin Vettori. He last fought in June 2023. So it is no surprise he is itching for a comeback soon.

Cannonier would also be rather pleased to fight ‘Stillknocks’ and get a shot at the middleweight title. In July 2022, he tried his luck against the then-middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya. Unfortunately, he lost via unanimous decision. He has now appeared in numerous interviews where he’s shown a certain readiness to go for the title once again. However, there are other fighters above him on the list. So will it happen?

Watch This Story: Colby Covington Breaks Character And Trains With The Nelk Boys 

Everybody wants the middleweight crown!

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Dricus Du Plessis is rightfully the king of the middleweight division now. He took away the title from Sean Strickland and he took it with great power. Immediately after the fight, he addressed his former and perhaps next great rival, Israel Adesanya. And at the same time, a tweet from Khamzat Chimaev calling him out made it to the UFC live broadcast.

But Jared Cannonier also wants a shot at Du Plessis. “I think some of the, you know, some of the rumors is that they’re trying to put DDP on 300 right? I stay ready you know okay, to be honest, I’m ready to go right now,” Cannonier told James Lynch.

While the fighter is yet to be cleared by his doctor after an MCL injury, he is certain that he can go soon. He also told Lynch that he would be fully healed and allowed to fight by March.

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Does Cannonier have a legitimate shot at the title? Or will he have to deal with Khamzat Chimaev first?

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Written by:

Prit Chauhan

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I'm Prit Chauhan, and I'm a UFC writer at EssentiallySports. I've been in the writing business for three years, covering areas like mass media marketing, and even tried my hand at fiction. My experience includes research work at the University of California, Berkeley, which helps me spin fact-based stories about the world of Mixed Martial Arts effortlessly.
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Edited by:

Joyita Das