Khamzat Chimaev coach leaks his pupil’s next opponent, and it’s not Kamaru Usman

Khamzat Chimaev’s coach Azamat “Ozzy” Dugulubgov has seemingly revealed who his next opponent inside the Octagon will be.

For almost a year now, fans have been waiting for Khamzat Chimaev to return to the Octagon. After starting off like a house on fire in the UFC, his activity has dwindled in recent times. While he’s still one of the most talked-about athletes on the UFC roster, the hype behind him perhaps isn’t as strong as it once was.

The expectation from many as of late has been that his next opponent will be Kamaru Usman. The two have called each other out multiple times, with the scheduled date for Chimaev’s return always being the promotion’s return to Abu Dhabi in October.

RELATED: KHAMZAT CHIMAEV RESPONDS AFTER KAMARU USMAN TELLS HIM TO “CUT THE F**KING WEIGHT” AND COME FIGHT: “YOU ARE THE BOOGEYMAN BUT I AM THE WOLF”

However, as per his aforementioned coach (and thanks to some great work from @frontkicked on Twitter), it seems like it’ll instead be Jared Cannonier.

Its official! Jared Cannonier vs Khamzat Chimaev for UFC 294. I was able to find out the exact moment posted on the Instagram story of Jalin Turner's coach that is supposed to be Khamzats opponent. You can see for yourself, but everything aligns even the short-term sponsors. pic.twitter.com/2OEJakP8z0

— Victor (@frontkicked) July 9, 2023

“My flight got delayed 4x this morning. However I’m not wasting time. Already studying the next opponent for the Borz @khamzatchimaev”.

As you can see, someone has worked out that the footage he is studying comes from Jared Cannonier’s encounter with Kelvin Gastelum.

Ozzy was recently in Las Vegas, where he was coaching Jalin Turner for his showdown against Dan Hooker.

Chimaev’s push for greatness

Cannonier is certainly an opponent that has been mentioned before when it comes to Khamzat’s trajectory. It may not be everyone’s first choice, but you can bet this will be an absolute banger either way.

Do you believe we’re going to see Jared Cannonier take on Khamzat Chimaev in October? If so, do you believe Chimaev will win, and how will he do it? Let us know, BJPENN Nation!