Khamzat Chimaev is coming off his most significant career win after defeating former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. He was going to face Paulo Costa, and it would have been a number one contender matchup. However, although the two didn’t fight, many people called for Chimaev to get a title shot after his victory. Yet, the current middleweight champion doesn’t think the hype train has earned it.
Khamzat Chimaev Vs Kamaru Usman
Numerous people were excited for a matchup between Usman and Chimaev because they are both sensational fighters. Chimaev came out of the gates very quickly, completely dominating the fight on the ground and amassing a lot of control time. As the contest went on, Usman managed to work himself into the battle as he landed some nice strikes. The scorecards were closer than people thought, as Chimaev only won by majority decision. Chimaev was most likely looking to make a statement, but now many people wonder if he deserves a title shot.
Sean Strickland On Chimaev
Sean Strickland won the championship after beating Israel Adesanya back in September. There are a lot of great options for Strickland in terms of who he could fight next. In the UFC Fight Pass ‘Extra Rounds’ interview, the champion stated that he doesn’t believe Chimaev has done enough to deserve a shot at his belt.
“The only thing I like about Chimaev is that he sells fights,” Strickland said. “For some reason, people f—king like him or don’t like him. I don’t know. To me, he’s a f—king paycheck. He sells a lot of fights. People pay to watch, but he hasn’t earned it.
“He doesn’t f—-ing deserve it, but here we are. Give it to him. He sells a lot of fights. I’ll fight the f—ing man for five rounds. But no, he’s not earned it. He doesn’t f—king deserve it. Getting a decision with a welterweight off the couch is not f—ing earning it.”
Quotes via Sherdog
Most likely, we will get a contest between Strickland and Chimaev, and one thing is for sure: it will be an exciting fight week.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
