Khamzat Chimaev ready to smash champions across three weight classes

Khamzat Chimaev is plotting his return to Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) following a fierce battle with COVID-19, and as usual, he’s setting his sights high. Not only is he gunning for a UFC belt, he’s got his eye on three different weight divisions.

Asked during an interview with ESPN whether he planned on returning at 170 or 185 pounds, Chimaev said he could do either ... or maybe even 205 pounds.

“Two weight classes waiting for me, 85 or 70, I can go fight 205,” Chimaev said (via MMA Fighting). “I did sparring with the guys who are, like Top 10 at 205. I don’t want to say the names for these guys, but the guys know when they did spar with me what’s happening there.

“I can beat Blachowicz, too,” he continued. “Israel [Adesanya] too, he lose with, like, wrestling against Blachowicz. Blachowicz is not a wrestler.”

Chimaev may have his sights set high, but he knows he has some work to do to get where he wants to be. Fights against Leon Edwards in the spring fell through because of COVID-19 complications, fights that were finally going to get him ranked at the top of a division. Now he’s sitting on the outside healing up, with a hopeful end of summer return date in mind.

“I didn’t fight for a long time, I don’t have so many fights, but I know who I am,” he said. “I just have to show it. Now I’m back. Give me somebody, doesn’t matter. For me, it doesn’t matter. I’ll fight with everybody. When I’m healthy, I’ll fight anybody, everybody. It doesn’t matter, Brock Lesnar.”

With three weight classes to choose from, we don’t doubt UFC will be looking to get Chimaev back in the cage against someone who can get its hottest prospect in 2020 back on track. Who do you want to see Khamzat facing in his return, Maniacs?