Daniel Cormier questions Khamzat Chimaev for title shot demands
During a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Cormier reacted to Chimaev’s demands.
“[Chimaev]’s one of the brighter young stars in the UFC, we all know that,” Cormier said of Chimaev. “But now he’s saying he wants to fight for the belt. Guys, that’s where Khamzat loses me, if I’m being completely honest. His asking for a title fight in October is actually crazy. Asking for a title fight isn’t crazy, [but] asking for a title fight in October is crazy. Dricus du Plessis fought in January, they offered him a fight at UFC 300 for more money, but he couldn’t do it because he was injured. How in the world do we expect him to fight in August, and then fight again in October? It’s just not happening…
“I don’t understand why Khamzat would say ‘I want a title fight’. What happened to the Robert Whittaker fight? Robert Whittaker said he’ll be ready to weigh in in August to fight if [Israel Adesanya] or Dricus can’t fight. If he weighs in, and he’s healthy and ready just in case, why not re-match those two guys up? Fight Robert Whittaker! To me, it feels like Khamzat will need one more fight to earn that middleweight championship opportunity.”
Chimaev is 7-0 in the UFC Octagon with recent wins over Kevin Holland and Gilbert Burns. Despite his dominant run, he’s lacked activity in recent years due to various health issues.
If Chimaev wants to fight for the middleweight title, Cormier feels he needs at least one more signature win to warrant the opportunity.
