ABU DHABI – Khamzat Chimaev might have the chance to make history.
According to UFC president Dana White, the promotion is angling to schedule Chimaev (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) for his second UFC fight at its upcoming event on July 25. The scramble to make another matchup for the surging Dagestani prospect comes just two days after he made his promotional debut at UFC on ESPN 13.
“He asked me that night (for another fight in Abu Dhabi),” White said, when speaking to reporters after the UFC on ESPN+ 30 weigh-ins on Friday. “I said why not? Yeah. All right. Let’s do it.”
In his promotional debut Wednesday, Chimaev turned heads with a dominant short-notice victory over John Phillips. After a lopsided first round that resulted in 10-7 scoring from one of the three cage-side judges, Chimaev submitted Phillips in Round 2.
While White confirmed the UFC’s intentions, he said the promotion has yet to find Chimaev an opponent. That’s a task UFC matchmaker Mick Maynard is currently working on.
“We are (trying to find someone for him),” White said. “As far as I know, we’re still looking. (UFC matchmaker Mick Maynard) is working on something for him right now. We’ll see what we can figure out.”
If Chimaev gets a fight booked on the event, he’d have the opportunity to set a modern-era UFC record with victories 10 days apart. Chas Skelly holds the record in the post-tournament era at 13.
The UFC event on July 25 will take place at Flash Forum on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. Broadcast information is not finalized at this time.
