According to certain speculations, Khamzat Chimaev was finally going to get his hands on a title shot against Dricus Du Plessis after nearly a five-year-long unbeaten run in the UFC. ‘Borz’ had been calling for a title shot for a while now, and after his UFC 308 win, he put himself in a position that Dana White could no longer deny him the opportunity. However, things have taken a turn for the worse when it comes to Chimaev as the South African champion is rumored to be unable to put his title on the line anytime soon. Yes, veteran MMA journalist Kevin Iole recently reported that he’s been hearing murmurs of Du Plessis possibly suffering an undisclosed injury.
We still have no confirmations on that front, as speculations state that Dana White & Co. were looking to set him up against Chimaev at UFC 317 during International Fight Week. As soon as the word came out that Du Plessis was hurt, Chimaev expressed his disappointment on X and tweeted, “This guy biggest bul—it.” However, #6 ranked middleweight Caio Borralho soon chimed in to add that he’s willing to fight the Chechnya-born on June 28. Well, Borralho had mentioned earlier about fighting Nassourdine Imavov at UFC 317, as per the UFC’s plans.
But seeing the opportunity to fight Chimaev in the headliner, he expressed wanting to take it and even proposed an interim title to be put on the line. According to ‘The Natural’, the undefeated star liked the idea and was ready to slug it out. However, UFC legend Michael Bisping appears to have a problem with a potential interim title fight. As we all know, the idea of an interim title is always a polarizing and ‘The Count’ doesn’t think Dana White should agree to put Borralho and Chimaev up for an interim title bout. But if that’s the way the CEO wants to proceed, the Hall of Famer suggested Dricus Du Plessis’s time out of action should be considered, given that he’s been one of the most active champions on the roster right now.
“There’s potentially a fight that’s gonna happen between Khamzat Chimaev and Caio Borralho for the interim strap, which is crazy because there shouldn’t be any talk about an interim title,” Michael Bisping stated on his YouTube channel. “Dricus has been an active champion. He was going to fight, apparently, on International Fight Week, and he got injured, okay? As I said, injuries happen. Happens all the time. The only way I could see any kind of validity to an interim title fight would be if Dricus needs surgery.”
The reason that can make the introduction of an interim title legit, according to Bisping, is if the middleweight division has a champion who’s out of action for more than half a year. “If he’s going to be out for about six, seven, eight months at minimum, then [it’s] okay. Okay, fair enough. The division’s gotta keep moving on… So that would be the only circumstance where an interim title fight would make sense,” ‘The Count’ added.
UFC DU PLESSIS ADESANYA, Dricus du Plessis of South Africa prepares to fight Israel Adesanya of Nigeria during their Middleweight title bout at UFC 305 at RAC Arena in Perth, Sunday, August 18, 2024. ACHTUNG: NUR REDAKTIONELLE NUTZUNG, KEINE ARCHIVIERUNG UND KEINE BUCHNUTZUNG PERTH WESTERN AUSTRALIA AUSTRALIA PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxAUSxNZLxPNGxFIJxVANxSOLxTGA Copyright: xRICHARDxWAINWRIGHTx 20240818154606007870
While Caio Borralho has claimed that Khamzat Chimaev has agreed to his proposal, ‘Borz’ has also issued a response to the Brazilian star’s recent tweet. You’d be intrigued to know that the undefeated sent a blatant reminder to Borralho. Here’s what he had to say!
Khamzat Chimaev sends a cold response to Caio Borralho
Khamzat Chimaev has trained with several fellow UFC fighters, some of whom competed and still compete in his division. Fighters like Darren Till, who was also a close personal friend, ex-champion Sean Strickland, and not to mention Caio Borralho as well. As soon as Chimaev learnt about the interim championship fight idea from ‘The Natural’, he didn’t hesitate to remind Borralho of their sparring sessions, possibly indicating that he’s ready for the challenge.
Borralho has spoken about training with Chimaev in the past. And while he praised him, it’s also possible that he might have a considerable amount of information on how to combat ‘Borz’ in a fight. “It was very hard, good training, and I evolved a lot. I think he can be successful in any way he wants…he can make some noise in both [welterweight and middleweight] divisions,” Caio Borralho stated in 2023.
UFC 317 may be a couple of months away, but time, as we all know, moves fast. So what does Dana White do? Will Dricus Du Plessis be out of action for more than six months? Will Khamzat Chimaev get his title fight in 2025? We’ll get all the answers in the days to come. Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below.
The post Khamzat Chimaev Fights Caio Borralho for an Interim Title on Only 1 Condition as Per UFC Hall of Famer – “If Dricus Needs Surgery…” appeared first on EssentiallySports.