Khamzat Chimaev achieved what many expected, capturing the UFC middleweight title on Saturday.
‘Borz’, labelled as a potential champion since he joined the promotion, earned the 185-pound belt at UFC 319 with a dominant unanimous decision over Dricus du Plessis.
Afterward, Dana White hinted that Chimaev’s first title defence could come as early as UFC 321 in October, with the champion expressing interest in fighting in Abu Dhabi.
UFC contender backs himself to outwork Khamzat Chimaev in title bout
With so much buzz around this fight, plenty of big names were in the building, including a few familiar faces from the middleweight ranks.
One of those was Anthony Hernandez, who just last week picked up his eighth straight UFC win after submitting Roman Dolidze in the fourth round.
There’s growing talk that ‘Fluffy’ could be next in line for a title shot, and maybe to make his case stronger, Hernandez was right there, front and centre for the UFC 319 main event.
Even after watching Chimaev dominate Stillknocks over five rounds, the seventh-ranked middleweight said he believes he’d have the upper hand if they ever met in a title fight.
“Congratulations to him, it was a pretty f—— boring fight, not gonna lie,” Hernandez told ESPNDeportes.
“But man call me for the fight. I can wrestle. I can do jiu-jitsu. I can stop all the s— and I can shut him down and with my gas tank man, I’ll drown him, I promise.”
Khamzat Chimaev’s potential next targets
The middleweight division is strong, with several contenders vying for the belt. While the winner of Nassourdine Imavov vs Caio Borralho was expected next, Chimaev’s October return for UFC 321 might complicate their timing.
That opens up possibilities for others like Anthony Hernandez or Reinier De Ridder, who were both present at UFC 319 and could step in due to scheduling.
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