Kamaru Usman believes Khamzat Chimaev has more work to do before facing him — ‘He hasn’t even beat anyone yet’

Khamzat Chimaev has risen to superstardom in an arguably quicker fashion than anyone in mixed martial arts (MMA) history. Because of this, he could be fighting for his first Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) title in no time. However, Welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman, still sees the talk as a bit premature for the No. 11-ranked contender in “Borz.”

“Well, I mean, this guy hasn’t even fought in the Top 10. He hasn’t even beat anyone yet,” Usman told fans at a public Q&A ahead of UFC 272 (h/t MMA News). ”So, I mean, [Colby] Covington is still standing in the way. So I think there’s still a couple more fights that he has to get through. But, like I say, I love to compete. When that fight presents itself, I’ll be here to compete.”

Chimaev is a flawless 11-0 in his career with his last four taking place inside the Octagon and all ending in extremely dominant a fashion. Between all four opponents, Chimaev has only been hit twice. He last fought at UFC 267 in Oct. 2021 when dispatching of China’s “Leech,” Li Jingliang via first round rear-naked choke submission (watch highlights).

The biggest test yet for Chimaev is surely to come in the form of his next opponent, former title challenger, Gilbert Burns, at UFC 273 on April 9, 2022.

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MASSIVE MIDDLEWEIGHT MATCH! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) makes its highly anticipated return to Sydney, Australia, for the first time in five years on Sat., Sept. 9, 2023, with a 185-pound world title fight inside Qudos Bank Arena. In the ESPN+-streamed pay-per-view (PPV) main event, Middleweight roost-ruler, Israel Adesanya, plans to silence No. 5-seeded contender, Sean Strickland. In UFC 293’s hard-hitting Heavyweight co-main event, No-6-ranked fan favorite, Tai Tuivasa, locks horns with towering Russian, Alexander Volkov (No. 8).

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Meanwhile, Usman is healing up from a recent hand surgery to repair a damaged ligament and plans to defend in a rematch against Leon Edwards during International Fight Week this summer. On top of that, “The Nigerian Nightmare” has continued expressing his interest in heading over to the boxing world to challenge Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in September.

Regardless of how the year shakes out at 170 pounds, it looks to be an interesting one no matter the immediate results.