5 Potential Fights Next for Khamzat Chimaev

There was so much drama at UFC 308 that, even though Ilia Topuria shocked the world on Saturday with a knockout win over Max Holloway, it is Khamzat Chimaev who seemingly won the event after crushing Robert Whittaker’s jaw with a brutal move.

Chimaev returned to the UFC Octagon at UFC 308 for the first time in over a year after multiple battles with brutal illnesses which have kept him away from fighting and looked to have potentially completely stagnated his fighting career. Despite his recent inactivity, Chimaev reminded everybody at UFC 308 just how good he was, and he made very easy work of former middleweight champion, Robert Whittaker, submitting him in the very first round with a brutal face crank in just over three and a half minutes. It is not just the man he beat which is getting so much attention, it is the way he did it. Chimaev’s grip on the face crank was so hard that Whittaker tapped in just seconds and images after the fight revealed that ‘Borz’ completely rearranged the teeth and jaw of the former champion, Whittaker, leaving his bottom set of teeth completely lose and likely needing his jaw reconstructed.

Now that people are once again aware of how good Chimaev is, many people are looking forward to his next fight. Chimaev will likely find himself ranked No.3 in the middleweight division when the UFC rankings update on Tuesday, which will see him in the midst of an absolute shark tank of talent at 185. The big talk coming out of UFC 308 is whether Chimaev should leapfrog Sean Strickland to the next middleweight title shot against current champion, Dricus Du Plessis, rather than having to defeat another top contender.

Today, GIVEMESPORT will go through some of the next possible opponents for Chimaev following his impressive UFC 308 victory.

Dricus Du Plessis

Chimaev’s performance at UFC 308 could see him potentially leapfrog Sean Strickland to the next middleweight title shot

Khamzat Chimaev’s performance at UFC 308 was so good and dominant that he may have just completely shaken up the UFC’s long-standing plans to run the highly anticipated rematch between Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland for the UFC middleweight title. Du Plessis and Strickland fought each other earlier this year at UFC 297 in one of the best fights of 2024. ‘DDP’ became the new middleweight champion in a controversial decision. Ever since this moment, the UFC’s plan has clearly been to try and get to a point where the rematch can happen so there is a definitive winner, however, Chimaev may have just prevented that from happening.

Chimaev’s performance at UFC 308 may have just seen him leapfrog the former champion, Strickland, to the next middleweight title shot and if he does get the next shot over Strickland, you really can’t blame the UFC, as Chimaev is undeniable right now and a huge star.

Sean Strickland

Chimaev and Strickland could find themselves having to fight in order to determine the next NO.1 contender for the UFC middleweight title

One way in which the UFC could avoid controversy regarding the next challenger for the middleweight title is by simply having Sean Strickland and Khamzat Chimaev fight and having the winner of the fight go on to be the next challenger for Dricus Du Plessis’ UFC middleweight title.

This fight not only makes sense due to the current debate over who deserves the title shot more, but there is also a little bit of history there between Strickland and Chimaev which could potentially further plant the seed for a fight between the two. Stylistically, Strickland vs Chimaev would be an incredibly intriguing fight as even though Chimaev’s grappling looks unstoppable, Strickland is more than capable in the grappling department and definitely has the ability on the feet with his slick boxing skills if he can keep the fight standing, to hurt Chimaev, and potentially put him away.

Israel Adesanya

Chimaev and Adesanya were rumoured to fight at UFC 300 but the bout did not materialise

If the UFC decide to go ahead with Sean Strickland being the next challenger for the UFC middleweight title, it will leave Khamzat Chimaev in a funny spot whether to sit out and wait for the winner of that fight or to become active and fight a fellow top contender to further cement his case for a title shot.

One man Chimaev could face if he does not get an immediate title shot is the two-time middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya. Chimaev vs Adesanya would be arguably the biggest fight to make for the middleweight division as they are two of the biggest stars in the sport. The two were actually rumored to face each other earlier this year, for UFC 300, but the fight did not materialise which could give the UFC a further push to make the fight happen, as it is one of the few super-fights which the promotion could realistically put on.

Nassourdine Imavov

Imavov is currently ranked #4 in the UFC’s middleweight division

Another fight which could be next for Khamzat Chimaev is the UFC goes down the road of him having to fight another top contender in a bout against his fellow Russian, Nassourdine Imavov. Imavov of course represents France in the UFC but was born in Dagestan, Russia which is one of the most successful regions in MMA history.

A fight between Chimaev and Imavov would be another fascinating match-up as even though Imavov is an elite kickboxer, with his Dagestani roots, he is also an incredibly strong wrestler which could see him pose a huge threat to Chimaev in denying his almost inevitable takedowns.

Caio Borralho

Borralho is undefeated in the UFC and is quickly becoming a fan favourite

Brazilian middleweight contender, Caio Borralho is another man who could find himself across the Octagon from Khamzat Chimaev next.

Borralho is currently ranked No.5 in the middleweight division and is quickly cementing himself as one of the division’s most loved fighters due to his well-rounded and entertaining fighting style, which has given him nothing but success so far in his UFC career.

Once again, just like several other fighters who have been mentioned, Borralho’s unique and well-rounded skillset could cause huge problems for Chimaev if they ever fought, which would make for an absolutely fascinating stylistic match-up which every fan would love to see.

All statistics and professional MMA records are correct as of 28.10.24