Khamzat Chimaev is coming off his most prominent career win after defeating Kamaru Usman at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi. After the victory, a title shot seems to be in touching distance for the rising star. It suggests that the matchup between Sean Strickland and Chimaev will happen in the not-too-distant future.
Henry Cejudo has given his thoughts on the potential title clash.
Should Khamzat Chimaev Be Next In Line For The Title
Chimaev backed up all the hype around him this past Saturday as he performed well against the former welterweight champion. Since joining the UFC in July 2020, he has been an unstoppable force and doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon. He was going to face Paulo Costa, but the contest didn’t happen due to Costa’s elbow surgery. As previously stated, many believe Chimaev will be next in line for a shot at the middleweight belt after defeating Usman.
Henry Cejudo On The Potential Clash
Cejudo is an icon of the sport and has had an incredible career inside the UFC octagon. He is a former flyweight and bantamweight champion; Cejudo has also won an Olympic gold medal. All of this shows how knowledgeable he is about fighting. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Cejudo gave his thoughts on a potential title clash between the two.
“Before, I thought, ‘Alright, man, I think Khamzat’s gonna just murder him.’ Not, man, not really,” Cejudo said. “Sean Strickland’s a natural middleweight, and Sean Strickland will fight, defend you, and keep fighting you. I almost feel like I’m switching. It is the second time that Khamzat has fought another elite fighter (and) I can honestly now gauge him and where I feel he is actually at.
“I don’t know if Khamzat gets past Sean Strickland. Did he win against Kamaru Usman? One hundred per cent. Could he have the power to take down Sean round after round? In that third round against Kamaru, he was tired. I think I have a right to jump sides because according to what I saw,” Cejudo continued. “I think he’s in for a fight against Sean Strickland. If Sean can reach his feet, which I think he will, I’m placing my money with Sean Strickland.”
Quotes via MMA News
It’ll be interesting to see if Chimaev gets the shot at the title, and if he does, it will be an exciting fight against Strickland.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
