Chael Sonnen believes Khamzat Chimaev could be just one fight away from a shot at the title

Chael Sonnen explained why Khamzat Chimaev might be closer to a title shot than previously anticipated.

'The Bad Guy' praised Khamzat Chimaev for successfully living up to his hype and carrying the momentum forward. Sonnen also stated that Chimaev is at most one victory away from securing a title shot in the UFC.

Sonnen said:

"I'm very confident telling you guys that Chimaev, in a maximum, is one fight away from a world championship. There is a scenario right now, where you don't fight him at all, you put him in a world championship [match] against Colby or Usman and nobody complains. Nobody says, 'that's not right.'"

Khamzat Chimaev defeated Li Jingliang in an incendiary performance at UFC 267. The Swede made a statement in front of Dana White, submitting 'The Leech' in the first round.

Sonnen also believes that Khamzat Chimaev left the pay-per-view as "the story of the night," owing to his charismatic post-fight interview. He also said that ESPN used the Swede as their lead story for UFC 267, although there is no evidence to suggest the same.

Watch Chael Sonnen's full take on Khamzat Chimaev here:

---

Khamzat Chimaev spoke about how a potential fight with welterweight champion Kamaru Usman would unfold

In the aftermath of UFC 267, Khamzat Chimaev called out several fighters, including Nate Diaz, Jorge Masvidal and welterweight king Kamaru Usman.

In the post-fight press conference, Khamzat commended Usman for his performances inside the octagon.

He also stated that he is unsure of his game plan if a potential opportunity to face Usman arises.

"[Kamaru Usman] is in his prime right now. He's doing good... I could wrestle him or... I don't know. I just go in there and fight. I don't have specific plans before bouts like 'I'm just going to submit them or outwrestle them.' If I can, I wrestle. Sometimes I throw punches and people fall unconscious. So maybe I'll submit him or maybe I'll knock him out or maybe I'll get knocked out." (Translated by YouTube channel Young 'n' Faded MMA Society).

Watch Khamzat's comments from the UFC 267 post-fight press conference at the 2:08 mark of the video below:

Watch Chimaev's full UFC 267 post-fight press conference below: