5 reasons why the UFC should book Khamzat Chimaev vs Colby Covington

Khamzat Chimaev's journey in the UFC has been dramatic to say the least. With only three fights under his belt in the promotion, 'Borz' had shockingly announced his retirement from the sport late last year.

Ring rust often becomes a factor for fighters returning after a long time. The same was speculated about 'Borz' as he returned to the octagon after a year of inactivity at UFC 267 in Abu Dhabi.

Khamzat Chimaev put an end to that by stomping his authority on fellow welterweight contender Li Jingliang in dominant fashion. He won by submission three minutes into the first round, and yet again, barely broke a sweat en route to victory.

Although he has only fought four times in the UFC, he has managed to create a name for himself in the promotion. Understandably, when one is an exciting prospect like Chimaev, it's natural to have speculation surrounding your next challenge dominating the headlines.

One such challenge could be former interim UFC welterweight champion Colby 'Chaos' Covington.

Although it hasn't been finalized, here are five reasons why the UFC should book a fight between Khamzat Chimaev and Colby Covington.

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#5. Khamzat Chimaev and Colby Covington's war of words has got fans hyped up

The UFC is no stranger to fighters settling their beef in the octagon. It is also what sells.

Ever since Khamzat Chimaev became the UFC's most exciting new prospect, there has been a buzz around who he will challenge next.

He's got fans wondering if he's ready to take on the big names in the division. Many even believe that 'Borz' would provide the biggest threat to welterweight king Kamaru Usman's reign.

But according to Colby Covington, Chimaev is a 'nobody' who has a lot to prove before he's worthy of all the attention. 'Chaos' was in an interview with BT Sport when was asked to comment on Chimaev's performance at UFC 267.

Responding to Adam Catterall's question, Colby Covington said:

"C*mshot' Chimaev... When he starts fighting guys that are in the Top 5, then we can start talking about him potentially fighting these top-name fights. But until then, the guy is nobody."

He even went on to take a dig at Khamzat Chimaev's decision to retire following his battle with COVID-19. Covington poked fun at Chimaev for being ready to retire because of a 'cold'.

"He was ready to retire from the cold. Imagine what I would do to him. I'm not the cold. The cold has a 99.9% survival rate. I tell you what, you get in the UFC octagon with me, it's a lot less survival rate than that."

Watch the full interview below:

Following Colby Covington's loss at UFC 268, Chimaev hit back at 'Chaos' with a series of tweets featuring the American all bloodied at UFC 245 against Kamaru Usman. He even tweeted a GIF of a wolf, which means 'Borz' in Chechen.

Given the obvious contempt between the fighters, it only makes sense that Dana White and the UFC brass give Colby Covington and Khamzat Chimaev the opportunity to settle the beef inside the octagon.

#4. Khamzat Chimaev and Colby Covington are both accomplished wrestlers

Colby Covington's record speaks for his prowess as an elite-level wrestler. 'Chaos' happens to be a two-time NCAA All-American Division I champion. He has also won the Pac-10 championship twice.

As per UFC statistics, Colby Covington has 48 successful takedowns out of the 112 he has attempted so far. He also boasts a takedown defence percentage of 72%. His takedown record is the same as Khabib Nurmagomedov's after 13 UFC fights.

Meanwhile, Khamzat Chimaev too is an excellent wrestler in his own right. He is a three-time Swedish Freestyle National champion.

According to UFC stats, he enjoys a 66% takedown accuracy. At UFC 267, 'Borz' put his grappling skills to good use as he finished off Li Jingliang with a rear-naked choke in the very first round.

Arguably, Khamzat Chimaev hasn't been challenged in the octagon yet. 'Borz' is yet to face an opponent who is inside the top ten of the 170 pound division.

He was expected to face third-ranked Leon Edwards, but had to pull out due to COVID-19 related complications.

Squaring off against top-ranked Colby Covington could be his ticket to earning a championship bout. It would be an evenly matched encounter between two accomplished wrestlers, trying to take the fight to the ground.

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#3. Bad blood between them can be a major draw for fans

The UFC has put on some of the biggest pay-per-view fights in the history of MMA. Be it UFC 229 between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov or UFC 100 between Brock Lesner and Frank Mir, they have all had one thing in common - bad blood between fighters.

The bad blood between Colby Covington and Khamzat Chimaev is evident from their recent back and forth. Dana White and the UFC could potentially be having another massive PPV event on their hands if they give 'Borz' a chance to have a go at Colby Covington inside the octagon.

Given the hype surrounding Chimaev, matching him up with one of the best fighters in the division is surely going to be a massive draw for fans.

Understandably, Dana White likes his latest prospect. Despite having fought thrice in the UFC, Dana had booked a fight between Khamzat Chimaev and Leon Edwards - the third-ranked fighter in the welterweight division. Unfortunately, the fight had to be canceled after 'Borz' pulled out citing COVID-19 complications.

After Khamzat Chimaev's dominant comeback at UFC 267, Dana White is already pushing to have Nate Diaz fight him.

#2. Defeating Colby Covington will bring Khamzat Chimaev closer to the title bout

Following Colby Covington's loss at UFC 268, Khamzat Chimaev took to Twitter to congratulate Kamaru Usman on his win.

It also contained an open declaration - "I’m coming for you brother I’m coming."

While Chimaev feels he's ready to take on UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, Dana White believes otherwise.

According to the UFC president, Khamzat Chimaev needs to rise up the ladder before he deserves a shot at the title.

“I don’t know if Chimaev is ready for that yet. (a title shot) Chimaev just broke into the top ten by fighting number eleven. It’s a whole ‘nother ball game when you get into the top ten, and you start fighting five and up. He’s one or two fights away from a championship.”

Realistically, Khamzat Chimaev's deserving a title shot straight away seems far fetched. But given his dominance so far, it seems plausible to book a fight with the best in the division.

As White mentioned, 'Borz' is "one or two fights away from a championship". Colby, naturally, should be the best choice in such a scenario. After all, there can't be a better chance of earning a title shot than defeating the top-ranked player in the division - Colby Covington.

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#1. Colby Covington remains largely untested in the welterweight division

Colby Covington has a stellar record in the UFC. Barring two losses to Kamaru Usman, 'Chaos' hasn't been defeated in the last five years.

Even Usman, who is currently the best pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC, has had to work hard on both occasions. At UFC 268, despite being on the backfoot in the earlier rounds, Colby came back strong to make it a close contest.

Going neck-and-neck with a fighter of Usman's callibre is no easy task. As per official stats, Colby had 38% of his strikes on target, while Usman had 41%.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Dana White praised Colby Covington for his resilience. He said:

"Listen, he's the second-best guy in the division...the second-best guy in the world."

"If Usman doesn’t exist then Colby Covington is the champion here in UFC, Usman is just, this guy is the best ever and he is the best Welterweight of all time.”

Khamzat Chimaev might prove to be a good challenge for Colby Covington. Of his four fights in the UFC, none of them have ever gone to the third round. He has also absorbed a solitary significant strike in his UFC career so far.

The Chechan is already being hailed as a worthy opponent for Usman by UFC legend Daniel Cormier.

Interestingly, in the UFC nothing is guaranteed. But it still wouldn't be a bad idea to test Covington's game against a fighter who is on the rise. Will Chimaev prove to be too much for Covington? It remains to be seen.