Khamzat Chimaev is locked in and fully focused as he prepares for the biggest moment of his UFC career—a title shot at UFC 319 later this month against Dricus Du Plessis. However, despite the high stakes, ‘Borz’ might have let a golden chance to hype up his upcoming fight slip through the cracks. Khamzat Chimaev has quickly risen through the UFC ranks as one of the most dominant, undefeated fighters in recent memory. With a flawless 8-0 record in the UFC and a chilling submission win over former champion Robert Whittaker in his last outing, “Borz” has proven he’s the real deal. But what opportunity did the Chechen fighter let go of?
Well, it seems Chimaev was all set to make an appearance on Adin Ross’ ultra-successful stream, the go-to place for most athletes looking to hype up their brand. However, according to the popular streamer, Adin Ross, the undefeated middleweight contender requested a whopping $700,000 to make an appearance. According to a clip shared by Clip Monarch on X, Ross said, “Check this out, though. Hold on a second. I found out the same fake manager tried to offer Konvy to get Khamzat on stream. For 100 bands. So how did the prize go from 100 to 700? Meanwhile, check this out though, chat. He’s talking to Konvy, and he told Konvy a 100. He gets to Adin 700 what? But Ali is gonna put me in the correct contact with Khamzat, ok. So I was speaking to the wrong manager, alright. So we are gonna figure it out. I feel like the Khamzat stream can now happen.”
Chimaev had a golden opportunity to give his highly anticipated clash with Dricus du Plessis one final promotional push. However, the Chechen star allegedly put a price tag that proved too steep for Adin, ultimately costing him the chance to boost the spotlight on his title fight. But was this exactly the case? According to a recent comment by Chimaev on Instagram, it doesn’t quite seem so. Kareem Elnashar took to his Instagram account to share Chimaev’s reaction. After hearing Ross’ claims, ‘Borz’ commented, “Who is this b–shit g-y?” However, Ross tried to clear up the issue by commenting, “khamzat Chimaev dm me bro it was a (misunderstanding).”
However, at the moment, Chimaev is not focused on any kind of interviews, but rather on the champion. ‘Borz’ has been struggling with his health for quite some time and had to pull out from quite a few fights in the past. However, the challenger has fully recovered and is ready to dismantle the champion. But what happens if he becomes the champion? With his history of pulling out of fights, will the division come to a standstill? Well, Din Thomas feels it would be a ‘disaster’ if Chimaev becomes the champion.
Khamzat Chimaev might affect the division after becoming the champion, Thomas believes
It’s safe to say that few have ever questioned Khamzat Chimaev’s talent and skill sets. For many, it seemed inevitable that ‘Borz’ would eventually claim welterweight gold, and that confidence remained strong even after his jump to middleweight. But now, a new concern is beginning to echo through the MMA world. Voices like Din Thomas are raising doubts—not about Chimaev’s skills, but about his reliability. With multiple fight cancellations in his past, some are beginning to wonder if Chimaev can truly be counted on as a dependable champion. Speaking on the MMA Junkie show, Thomas said, “If Khamzat wins, it’s a disaster. You can’t tell me a part of you isn’t just thinking, ‘This fight might not actually happen.’ Some of these guys habitually struggle just to make it to the dance.”
Thomas was clearly throwing shade at Chimaev’s history of withdrawing from fights. While his comments didn’t sit well with many fans, it’s tough to ignore that his concerns aren’t without merit. Chimaev may boast an unblemished record inside the cage, but his struggle to consistently make it to fight night has sparked legitimate concerns. With six canceled bouts to his name, questions around his reliability continue to grow. To be fair, not all of those cancellations were entirely his fault, but the pattern is hard to ignore. However, UFC Dana White has always been a big fan of the Chechen fighter.
“I’m looking forward to him getting a title fight in ’25.” These were the exact words of Dana White on The Jim Rome Show last year, right after Khamzat Chimaev finished Robert Whittaker at UFC 308. The UFC boss has always been confident that ‘Borz’ would be a bigger draw than most of the fighters in the division. But the big question has always been about his health. At UFC 319, Chimaev will come out all guns blazing to get the title. If he wins the belt will Din Thomas’s prediction turn out to be true? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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