Khamzat Chimaev frustrated by ‘bulls*it’ comments made by Dana White: “You promised me”

By Josh Evanoff - January 22, 2024

UFC middleweight contender Khamzat Chimaev wants the title shot that Dana White promised.

Khamzat Chimaev, Dana White

‘Borz’ is currently awaiting his next opponent. Last October, Khamzat Chimaev faced former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, at UFC 294. Originally expected to face Paulo Costa, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ stepped in due to injury. Before the event, Dana White dubbed the fight a title eliminator.

At UFC 294 last fall, Khamzat Chimaev scored a decision win over the former champion. The victory was only his fourth up at middleweight in the promotion, but he seemingly secured the title shot with a win. However, he first had to wait for Dricus du Plessis to face Sean Strickland. ‘Stillknocks’ himself defeated Robert Whittaker in a high-profile title eliminator last summer.

At UFC 297, the South African ended Sean Strickland’s reign with middleweight gold. Following the win, du Plessis called out former champion, Israel Adesanya. At the post-fight press conference, Dana White approved the fight. In the process, he seemingly confirmed that Khamzat Chimaev won’t get a title shot after all.

That has to be frustrating for the Chechen fighter. In a recent interview with ESPN MMA, Khamzat Chimaev was asked about potentially fighting for a UFC title next. There, he made it clear that he was unhappy with Dana White, seeing as how he promised him a title shot with a win over Kamaru Usman.

RELATED: RAQUEL PENNINGTON TAKES AIM AT ‘JUDGEMENTAL’ COMMENTS MADE BY SEAN STRICKLAND: “STUFF LIKE THAT IS NOT OKAY”

Khamzat Chimaev, UFC, Surgery

Khamzat Chimaev takes aim at Dana White over UFC 297 post-event comments

“All these guys fight me, but I’m the only one undefeated and undisputed. 13-0, so I don’t know.” Khamzat Chimaev stated in a recent interview with ESPN MMA. “They promised me after Usman fight ‘You will for sure going to fight for the title’, and I win that fight. I don’t know what’s going on, I heard Dana White say stuff like ‘I don’t think Khamzat is next for the title’. That’s bulls*it man.”

He continued, “If you promised me something, you have to answer for your words. I’m the guy who always answers for my words so I don’t care if it’s some President or somebody, like a King. If you give me your word, you have to answer for that. So, I grow up, when I give word, you have to answer for it… We’re doing that. I will be happy to answer for my words about killing them man, so we’ll see. Maybe in the USA. it’s a different mentality.”

“I don’t know. I will be surprised if that happens, if somebody fight [for the title] next that’s not me.” Khamzat Chimaev concluded. “So, we’ll see. I didn’t talk with Dana, I don’t know what he’s thinking, he knows better than me… For sure, in my mind, it should be me.”

What do you make of these comments from Khamzat Chimaev? Do you believe that ‘Borz’ deserves a UFC title shot? Or do you agree with Dana White taking the middleweight title picture in a different direction?

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM


Topics:

Dana White Khamzat Chimaev UFC