UFC 268: Khamzat Chimaev ‘couple fights away’ from Kamaru Usman, says Dana White
- UFC president dismisses idea of fast tracking Chechen-born Swedish sensation to a welterweight title shot
- ‘I get it. He’s one of the coolest badasses we’ve seen … but Usman is a whole other game,’ White says
Khamzat Chimaev seems to be on a collision course with Kamaru Usman, even more so after the welterweight champ retained his title with a unanimous decision victory over Colby Covington.
The undefeated Chechen-born Swede (10-0) had put the division on notice last weekend, manhandling Chinese veteran Li Jingliang to break into the top 10 of the rankings.
But UFC president Dana White played down the possibility of fast tracking “Borz” to a title shot, despite a meteoric rise following his promotional debut in July 2020.
“There are still guys here,” White said at the UFC 268 post-event press conference in New York in the early hours of Sunday morning. “You got some talking about Khamzat is ready … he’s had four fights in the UFC.
“I get it. He’s one of the coolest badasses we’ve seen. The way he rips through guys … but Usman is a whole other game. He’s a couple fights away. If he can beat a couple guys in top 10, top five, then we’ll see.