'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Despite only fighting once in 2021, Khamzat Chimaev remains one of the UFC’s biggest breakout stars right now. With that said, could 2022 be the year that he captures a shot at the UFC welterweight title?
While he’s clearly on a path to the top, Khamzat Chimaev definitely needs at least one more big win before he can face off with current UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.
So which fighters would make the best opponents for ‘Borz’ to put him on that path, should he defeat them, of course?
Here are five potential fights that could lead to a UFC title shot for Khamzat Chimaev.
#5. Khamzat Chimaev vs. Jorge Masvidal
Knocking off a previous title challenger is often the best way for a fighter to earn a shot at gold in the UFC. So it’d make a lot of sense for Khamzat Chimaev to attempt to defeat Jorge Masvidal in his quest for a shot at Kamaru Usman.
Masvidal was defeated handily by Usman in their clash last year at UFC 261, eating one of the year’s most violent knockouts. Despite not winning a fight since his 2019 win over Nate Diaz, he’s still one of the most dangerous welterweights in the promotion.
With Khamzat Chimaev currently ranked at No.11 in the division and Masvidal sitting five spots above him at No.6, this would definitely be a step up in competition for ‘Borz’, but it’s one that he’d probably love to take.
Not only would a win over Masvidal provide him with even more notoriety than he currently holds, given that ‘Gamebred’ still holds the UFC’s ‘BMF’ title, but the promotion could easily headline or co-headline a major event with this fight. That would give Chimaev his biggest spotlight to date.
More to the point, Masvidal has a number of losses to his name against powerful wrestlers, including in his first clash with Usman and his 2017 defeat at the hands of Demian Maia. Quite how ‘Gamebred’ would handle Chimaev’s takedowns is a major question mark.
Essentially, despite his superior experience, Masvidal is the kind of big-name, beatable opponent that could easily provide Khamzat Chimaev with a path to a shot at the UFC welterweight title.
#4. Khamzat Chimaev vs. Gilbert Burns
Another great option for Khamzat Chimaev would be former title challenger Gilbert Burns.
While he doesn’t hold the name value of some of the UFC’s other top welterweights, it’s arguable that Gilbert Burns is the second-best 170lber on the planet right now behind only UFC champion Kamaru Usman.
Sure, he sits behind Colby Covington in the UFC’s official rankings, but there’s definitely an argument to suggest that Burns’ wins over Stephen Thompson, Demian Maia and Tyron Woodley should be enough to hold him in higher regard.
With that considered, then, if Khamzat Chimaev could defeat ‘Durinho’, it’d send a real message to Usman that ‘Borz’ is the man to truly be feared in the division at this point.
Make no mistake, Burns would perhaps be the toughest opponent in the entire division, other than Usman, for Chimaev. Not only does the Brazilian hit like a truck, but he’s also a powerful grappler with a low centre of gravity. He holds a high-level black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu too.
However, Chimaev has still not eaten a significant strike in his UFC career and whether Burns could take him down would be a major question mark.
Given that ‘Durinho’ is now 35 years old, there’s also the chance that Khamzat Chimaev could catch him on the downswing of his career and use him as a springboard to elevate himself up the rankings.
This wouldn’t be the sexiest bout for Khamzat Chimaev to take, but it might be the smartest when it comes to a path to the UFC welterweight title.
#3. Khamzat Chimaev vs. Vicente Luque
While Khamzat Chimaev’s explosive style, dangerous reputation and loud mouth have put him in position as the UFC’s fastest-rising welterweight, it’s arguable that Vicente Luque is still closer to a title shot right now.
‘The Silent Assassin’ lives up to his nickname in that he won’t be trash-talking any time soon, but his finishing skills are absolutely second-to-none in the entire UFC.
Luque has lost just one fight in his last 11 octagon appearances, dropping a decision to Stephen Thompson in late 2019. Since then, he’s reeled off four straight wins, stopping Niko Price, Randy Brown, Tyron Woodley and Michael Chiesa.
More importantly, the Brazilian is deadly, both standing and on the ground, and seems to be able to find finishes from any position, usually latching onto chokes, with the D’Arce being one of his most favoured submissions.
Whether the less-athletic Luque would be able to handle the explosive fury that Khamzat Chimaev can bring is another thing entirely, though. It’s probably safe to say that ‘The Silent Assassin’ has not faced a wrestler on the level of ‘Borz’ during his UFC run.
Would a win over Luque give Khamzat Chimaev an instant title shot? It’s debatable, but knocking off arguably the most dangerous fighter in the division would certainly send the right message.
#2. Khamzat Chimaev vs. Nate Diaz
Logically speaking, Khamzat Chimaev’s best route to a title shot against UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman would be for him to knock off one of the 10 fighters ranked above him.
However, while Nate Diaz is currently unranked by the UFC, it’s probably safe to say that a win over him would mean a lot more than a victory over almost any other fighter in the 170-pound division.
He hasn’t actually won a fight in the octagon since his August 2019 defeat of Anthony Pettis and has lost to both Jorge Masvidal and Leon Edwards in the years that have followed. However, the Stockton native remains one of the UFC’s biggest names and biggest drawing cards.
More to the point, his fight with Edwards didn’t suggest that Diaz had lost that much in terms of his fighting ability. Despite being whitewashed for the first four rounds, he caught ‘Rocky’ with a big shot in the fifth and had him on the verge of being finished.
Given that Edwards is likely to face Usman for the title next, then it’s probably safe to say that Diaz is still a highly dangerous foe for any fighter in the division.
However, on paper at least, Chimaev is a nightmare match for him thanks to his power, wrestling ability and speed. Theoretically then, this would be a low-risk, high-reward fight for ‘Borz’.
Essentially, a close comparison to this fight would be Israel Adesanya’s 2019 win over Anderson Silva in that while Silva wasn’t ranked at the time, a win over him still led to a title shot. The same could easily be said for Chimaev if he could beat Diaz.
#1. Khamzat Chimaev vs. Colby Covington
If Khamzat Chimaev wants to take out the highest-ranked fighter in the division on his path to claiming a title shot against UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, then he’s going to have to go through Colby Covington.
‘Chaos’ ended 2021 in disappointing fashion, as he came out on the wrong end of a decision in his own title fight with Usman. However, it’s probably fair to say that he pushed ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ harder than anyone had done before in the octagon.
That alone makes Covington a uniquely dangerous fighter in the division, Given that Usman is the only man to defeat him in the UFC since 2015, anyone able to pull it off would instantly be elevated to the top.
However, this fight wouldn’t only be a great one for Chimaev because of Covington’s high ranking. It’d also be a major clash from all standpoints, as ‘Chaos’ is one of the UFC’s greatest trash-talkers and could build the fight like few others.
Essentially, a fight between Chimaev and Covington could ensure that ‘Borz’ remains in the spotlight and the UFC could easily headline a major show with the clash and capture the interest of the fans.
Due to Covington’s talent, picking up a win over him wouldn’t be easy for Chimaev, but if he could do it, there’d be no way that the UFC could deny him a shot at the gold.
