UFC: Dana White says he’s struggling to find a ‘real’ opponent for Khamzat Chimaev in 2022
- UFC president White insists he wants Chimaev fighting top-level opposition next year
- ‘Nobody’s overly excited to fight Khamzat,’ White says, however – ‘except for Neil Magny’
Dana White has said Khamzat Chimaev will start facing top-level opposition in 2022 – if anybody agrees to fight the Chechen-born Swede.
Chimaev, 27, burst into the limelight in 2020, scoring first-round wins over John Phillips, Rhys McKee, and Gerald Meerschaert in his first three UFC bouts – all in less than five minutes combined. After being sidelined by a complicated bout with Covid-19 for much of 2021, Chimaev finally got back to business at UFC 267 in October, battering Chinese welterweight Li Jingliang in a first-round submission win.
White said the plan is to give Chimaev (10-0) another step up in competition in the new year.
“We have all these up-and-coming guys that are exciting and fun, and as fans everybody wants to know how good are they really? Can they beat this guy? Can they beat that guy? We’re going to see a lot of that in 2022,” White told ESPN.
“You’re going to see Khamzat fighting some real guys. We’re working on that right now.”
Unfortunately, White and his team have had a difficult time finding a willing dance partner for Chimaev.
In fact, the UFC boss said only one fighter has outwardly expressed interest in fighting the surging contender: No 8-ranked welterweight Neil Magny (25-8), who is riding a decision win over Geoff Neal.
“Nobody’s overly excited to fight Khamzat – except for Neil Magny,” White said. “Neil Magny is one of those guys that will literally fight anybody. Anybody, anywhere, short notice, doesn’t matter. Neil Magny’s a stud, but nobody’s overly excited to fight Khamzat.”
Some fans have even speculated that Chimaev might simply be rushed into a title fight with reigning welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, given his status as one of the brightest young stars in MMA.
White, however, was definitive when asked about that possibility.
“No,” he said.
