Khamzat Chimaev is finally getting a middleweight title shot, thanks in part to his violent, first-round submission victory over former 185-pound champion, Robert Whittaker, in the UFC 308 pay-per-view (PPV) co-main event last October.
“Borz” would have probably scored a crack at the crown much sooner; however, the former welterweight has a long and ugly history of bailing on big fights (like this main event back in 2024) with little to no explanation behind the absence.
Something-something “mystery illness” something-something.
As a result, the promotion has tapped top-ranked middleweight contender, Nassourdine Imavov, to serve as backup for the upcoming UFC 319 headliner on Aug. 16 in Chicago, forcing Dricus Du Plessis to train for two possible opponents.
From the middleweight champion’s Instagram account:
Du Plessis loves to troll Chimaev.
Chimaev, 31, remains undefeated at 14-0 but has only registered eight fights under the UFC banner over the last five years, with three of those contests coming in mid-to-late 2020. As for Du Plessis, also 31, he stands at 9-0 inside the Octagon and 20-2 overall.
“Borz” opened as the slight betting favorite.
