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Khamzat Chimaev put the world on notice with a dominant first-round submission victory over Li Jingliang at UFC 267. His record is now a perfect 10-0, and he looks set to terrorize the rest of the UFC's welterweight division.
Chimaev has barely taken a punch during his four UFC bouts thus far, making it tough to devise a game plan against him. Many were expecting the Chechen-born Swede to have a much tougher time against No.11-ranked Jingliang, but 'Borz' breezed past his Chinese counterpart.
Chimaev looks set to climb up the welterweight rankings, and given his recent performances, it's tough to envision anyone being able to stop him. However, he is yet to face the true elite of UFC's welterweight division.
That looks set to change very soon as one can only imagine Chimaev will return to the octagon before long, given how little damage he received at UFC 267. He has also forced himself into the rankings, meaning bigger fights are on the way.
While things are undoubtedly looking good for the talented Swede, he will now take on exceptional martial artists as he climbs the ranks. Some may want to see him face the likes of Nate Diaz, but in truth, there are likely more compelling match-ups out there.
Here are five match-ups that could provide Chimaev with the hardest test:
#5. Vicente Luque vs. Khamzat Chimaev
Vicente Luque is not the biggest name on this list, but he may be the most underrated. Having looked consistently promising throughout his career, he seems as though he may have now put it all together on his four-fight winning streak.
He conjured first-round finishes over big names like Tyron Woodley and Michael Chiesa in his last two outings. On top of the results, which are comparable to Chimaev's, Luque also shares the ability to both submit and knockout opponents.
Luque is also very muscular for the 175-pound weight class, which may help him defend against the other-worldly strength we have seen from Chimaev. If Luque can avoid being swarmed, his experience may allow him to exploit openings in Chimaev's game.
#4. Jorge Masvidal vs. Khamzat Chimaev
While Jorge Masvidal is not currently riding the same wave of momentum as Chimaev, he will have the opportunity to get back on track when he faces Leon Edwards at UFC 269.
Masvidal is nine years older than Chimaev, but his wealth of experience could be useful in a potential bout. It may mean 'Gamebred' can capitalize on any errors made by the less experienced Chimaev.
Masvidal also has the ability to end any fight with a single blow. This could be huge in a bout with Chimaev, where openings are few and far between.
With that being said, if Chimaev can get a hold of Masvidal, you worry that the fight could follow a similar path to Masvidal's first bout against Kamaru Usman.
#3. Leon Edwards vs. Khamzat Chimaev
Leon Edwards is currently on the same undefeated streak as Khamzat Chimaev, with neither man having lost in their past ten. On top of that, Edwards has achieved the feat against a much higher level of opposition.
A potential issue in this one would be Edwards' size, as you would imagine Chimaev would be the much larger man. However, if Edwards is able to stay at range, he could be able to use this to his advantage.
Chimaev proved at UFC 267 that he could have a tough time making weight.
On top of this, he has never seen a fight go into the third round. In a five-round fight between the pair, perhaps Edwards could tire out Chimaev for the later rounds.
Edwards has great cardio, as evidenced by his five-round, non-main event, non-championship bout against Nate Diaz.
#2. Colby Covington vs. Khamzat Chimaev
The controversial Colby Covington will look to become UFC welterweight champion at UFC 268. Should he beat Kamaru Usman at the pay-per-view, he could quite possibly end up facing Chimaev in 2022.
Covington's strength is undoubtedly his wrestling and ridiculous cardio. While Chimaev also seems to be a very talented grappler, he hasn't competed against someone on Colby's level.
Additionally, you would imagine that if the fight were to go into a third, fourth, or fifth round, Covington would be better prepared. Covington's last four bouts have all gone into the fifth round, so you can be confident in his ability to grind away late.
It would be interesting to see whether their impressive grappling skills would lead to a stand-up war, as we saw in the first bout between Covington and Kamaru Usman.
#1. Kamaru Usman vs. Khamzat Chimaev
Usman vs. Chimaev would be a blockbuster of a fight. A potential match-up next year may not be outside the realm of possibility either. While Usman faces a tough test at UFC 268, he appears to be running out of fresh challengers.
If Chimaev continues to surge up the rankings, he could meet Usman before long. That bout has the potential to be spectacular, given how dominant both men have looked in recent times.
Usman has exceptional wrestling, which might be enough to match that of Chimaev. One would also assume that Usman is the better striker, especially since he began training with Trevor Wittman in 2020. He has looked much improved in that department recently, as we saw in his knockout over Masvidal.
An elite grappler with much-improved striking, Kamaru Usman could be the most complete fighter Khamzat Chimaev faces in UFC career.
