UFC star Islam Makhachev has given his thoughts on a potential showdown with Khamzat Chimaev at some point in the future.
As we know, Islam Makhachev is set to make his welterweight move later this year when he challenges Jack Della Maddalena for the UFC title. It comes after he gave up his lightweight championship in order to pursue a second belt, and while we all know that JDM has a great chance of retaining the title, many are already looking ahead to what life with Islam as welterweight champion would look like.
Khamzat Chimaev, meanwhile, is the champion up at middleweight. He was able to dominate Dricus du Plessis in their UFC 319 main event, and while some have even said that he could go all the way up to light heavyweight, others want to see him head back down to welterweight. If he does, there’s a chance that Islam Makhachev could be waiting for him at some point in the future.
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During a recent appearance, Islam Makhachev was asked about the possibility of him fighting Khamzat Chimaev. As you can imagine, he was very diplomatic when giving his answer.
Islam Makhachev’s view on Khamzat Chimaev fight
“I’m answering this question here. I don’t want to open the door to any kind of conflict between our people,” Makhachev said at a press conference.
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“Well, we will see,” Makhachev said of potentially fighting Chimaev.
“I have a tough fight ahead…”
Quotes via Bloody Elbow
Makhachev vs Chimaev would obviously be a fantastic fight. Alas, given the natural weight difference between the two, it certainly doesn’t seem like something that’s particularly likely. After all, both men could easily go on to dominate their respective divisions for many years to come – why would they want to throw that into doubt for one superfight?
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