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A former UFC fighter recently questioned the rationale behind Khamzat Chimaev's decision to accept another title contender fight.
On Wednesday, Dana White announced an array of matchups for the promotion's inaugural event in Saudi Arabia set for June 22, including a middleweight main event featuring Chimaev against former champion Robert Whittaker. According to the UFC CEO, this fight is also a title eliminator bout.
In a recent video on his YouTube channel, former UFC middleweight and light heavyweight title challenger Chael Sonnen provided insights into the upcoming Whittaker vs. Chimaev matchup. 'The American Gangster' appeared baffled by 'Borz's' choice to agree to another No.1 contender fight:
"This rumor is not new, and the last fight that Chimaev had was said to be a No.1 contender's match, and Chimaev won. So, it feels as though Chimaev have already qualifies for the title match now this industry changes really fast."
He added:
"I'm bringing that to you because you still have a problem or at least a question, like, with anybody, why would he want to do it? It's a really hard thing. You have to find motivation, and it could be anything. We could speculate that at least a hint of an idea is that this is where we're going to find our No.1 contender."
Check out Chael Sonnen's comments below (5:50):
'Borz' secured a majority decision victory against former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman at UFC 294 last October, with the bout originally advertised as a pathway to a shot at the 185-pound title.
However, during the January UFC 297 post-event press conference, White altered his stance on this commitment, announcing that the next title challenger remains undetermined.
When Khamzat Chimaev accused Dana White of reneging on title shot commitment
During an interview with ESPN MMA in January, Khamzat Chimaev lambasted Dana White, alleging a sudden reversal of the promised opportunity for the next shot at the middleweight title after his win over Kamaru Usman:
"All these guys have fought each other, and only I'm undefeated, undisputed, 13-0. They promised me, that after the Usman fight, I will for sure fight for the title. I won that fight, so I don't know what's going on. I heard Dana White say, 'I don't think Khamzat is next for the title.' That's bullsh*t, man. If you promise me something, you have to answer it."
He added:
"I’m the guy who always answers for my words, so I don’t care if it’s some president or something, like a king. If you give me your word, you have to answer for that."
Check out Khamzat Chimaev's comments below (4:00):
