Khamzat Chimaev has verbally agreed a deal to face former welterweight title challenger Gilbert Burns in the biggest test of his UFC career to date.
The rising star has recently made a surging journey in the welterweight division and is ranked just outside of the top ten by the promotion at No.11.
He picked up a submission victory over Li Jingliang in an October return last year after a year out of the octagon suffering with health complications after testing positive for coronavirus.
Chimaev could now make a phenomenal step up to face No.2 ranked contender Burns in a bumper welterweight showdown on April 4.
The pair have verbally agreed the bout after Chimaev messaged the Brazilian star looking to set a date in May.
Burns immediately responded with a message suggesting the date which Chimaev gladly accepted.
Chimaev and Burns have been in talks to stage a bout for several weeks with the pair frequently calling each other out as Chimaev's rise to fame continued.
Burns has struggled to find an opponent since his July victory over Stephen Thompson as Colby Covington was occupied with a rematch against Kamaru Usman while Jorge Masvidal agreed to face Leon Edwards.
However the 35-year-old is confident Chimaev can provide a stern test on his return to action after being turned down "a lot" by several other contenders.
“I’m already in negotiations for my next fight,” Burns said. “A lot of people did not accept (to fight me), so the negotiation has been a little more complicated.
Who wins- Gilbert Burns or Khamzat Chimaev? Let us know in the comments section below
"I keep watching fights and when somebody in my division is fighting, I go crazy wishing that they would call me out, but nobody does. We’ll see when this next fight comes.
“We’ve been negotiating, we’re looking at an April slot, we’re just trying to establish an opponent. It could be Chimaev. He’s one of the few guys who has accepted and we are still negotiating. We’ll see. It could be him next.”
Burns' form is superb in the promotion having just one blemish on his record against current champion Kamaru Usman.
Meanwhile Chimaev has been active in calling out a whole host of names in the division including fellow prospect Belal Muhammed who he has developed a rivalry with during his rise.
And 'The Wolf' wishes to put a stop to the hype and excitement that is suggesting that Muhammed could become another pay-per-view star.
He told MMA Fighting : “He has that push from the UFC, where they think that he could be a champion and they think that he’s the next guy," he continued.
"You go out there and beat a guy like that, you steal all of his hype, all of his shine. Then you just beat the boogeyman.
"Do I think that he’s this pay-per-view star because of those four wins? No. But the UFC does. If they think that, then I’m the one that’s going to have to put a stop to it.”
