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The much-discussed potential matchup between young welterweight stars Khamzat Chimaev and Shavkat Rakhmonov has once again become a hot-button topic in the MMA community.
The undefeated Chimaev is purportedly having trouble finding opponents at welterweight and middleweight, as most top-tier fighters fear facing him. Meanwhile, the undefeated Rakhmonov was scheduled to fight Geoff Neal in a welterweight bout at the UFC Fight Night event on January 14th, 2023.
However, Geoff Neal has withdrawn from the Rakhmonov matchup due to an undisclosed injury. Considering the aforementioned variables at play, many in the MMA community have taken to Twitter to urge the UFC to book Chimaev against Rakhmonov. One fan tweeted:
"just book the peoples championship shavkat v. khamzat, winner gets a title shot loser goes to 185"
Meanwhile, one Twitter user opined that Rakhmonov deserves to fight Chimaev despite the discrepancy between their respective positions in the UFC welterweight ranks:
"Schedule the fight with khamzat already. F**k it. Your number 10, khamzat was number 11 when he fought Burns who was number 2."
Another Twitter user alluded to Chimaev having a tough time finding an opponent and lobbied for the Chimaev-Rakhmonov showdown:
"Geoff Neal is officially out. I’ve heard Khamzat Chimaev is struggling to get a fight, 4 fighters turned him down apparently. Well there you go. Khamzat Chimaev vs Shavkat Rakhmonov"
Furthermore, proposing a timeline for a possible Chimaev-Rakhmonov clash, a fan tweeted:
"Please @ufc book Shavkat Rakhmonov vs Khamzat Chimaev UFC 285 in March"
Another fan went as far as insinuating that 'Borz' is afraid to fight Shavkat Rakhmonov:
"chimaev sure has gone crikets since Geoff Neal pulled out of his fight vs Shavkat Rakhmonov."
Moreover, one Twitter user suggested that Chimaev-Rakhmonov could be the fight of the year in 2023:
"With Geoff Neal out, Khamzat Chimaev vs Shavkat Rakhmonov is THE FIGHT of 2023 to make."
Vicente Luque on comparisons between Khamzat Chimaev and Shavkat Rakhmonov
Chimaev's next opponent and comeback date hasn't been officially announced. Also, after Neal's withdrawal, it's unclear if Rakhmonov will fight Chimaev or a different opponent at the upcoming UFC Fight Night event. Intriguingly, Chimaev and 'Nomad' have often been compared to one another. Speaking to Sportskeeda MMA earlier this year, UFC welterweight Vicente Luque addressed the same.
'The Silent Assassin' indicated that both fighters possess adopt different approaches inside the octagon but are definitely comparable. Praising Chimaev (12-0 MMA) and Rakhmonov (16-0 MMA) for being dangerous, undefeated, and great prospects, Luque stated:
"I would put Shavkat [Rakhmonov] as much more technical, much more conscious of what he's doing. [Khamzat] Chimaev is great as well but he's more wild. He likes to go in there and have fun."
Watch Luque's assessment below:
