Khamzat Chimaev will ‘screw’ UFC light heavyweight division if he moves up, says Khalil Rountree

If Khamzat Chimaev makes the jump to light heavyweight, Khalil Rountree believes the division is in trouble.

Rountree is a top 205-pound contender who has gotten the chance to train with Chimaev. “Borz” currently holds the middleweight gold, but he has teased moving up in weight. Many believe that Chimaev will end up making the jump sooner rather than later.

Rountree recently told reporters that if that’s the case, then the light heavyweight title might as well be handed to Chimaev (via MMAJunkie).

“I feel many different ways,” Rountree said. “When I first heard the news (he’s interested in a potential light heavyweight move), I was like a bit bummed out, really. Just to know that a guy like Khamzat would come to your division and had to be a potential matchup if that happened, it doesn’t make me happy to think about that.

“I just told you training with this guy, he’s the best in the world. It’s difficult. It’s difficult in all areas, in standup, in grappling. No one gets an easy round with Khamzat. It doesn’t matter what weight class, what size. That was my initial thoughts, like, ‘Damn, if he made the move up, we’re all kind of screwed.’ That’s kind of how I look at it.”

The reigning light heavyweight champion is Carlos Ulberg, who knocked out Jiri Prochazka shortly after tearing his ACL. Ulberg underwent surgery, and he’s optimistic about his recovery time.

Chimaev is set to put his middleweight title at stake against Sean Strickland in the UFC 328 main event on May 9. That bout will be held inside the Prudential Center in Newark.

Do you think it’s safe to say that Khamzat Chimaev would easily lock up the UFC light heavyweight gold, or would he run into issues? Share your opinion in the comments below.