Khamzat Chimaev has revealed why he does not want to defend his UFC middleweight title against standout contender Nassourdine Imavov next.
Chimaev won the title at 185lb in August, dominating Dricus Du Plessis to dethrone the South African via decision and stay unbeaten.
And talk quickly turned to Chimaev’s first challenger, with the middleweight division currently stacked with credible contenders, several of whom were booked against each other. In October, Brendan Allen beat the in-form Reinier de Ridder by TKO, but one month prior, Imavov outpointed Caio Borralho.
With Imavov having previously defeated Allen in 2024, before stopping ex-champion Israel Adesanya this February, he will seemingly emerge from 2026 as the next title challenger.
However, Chimaev continues to call for a fight with 205lb champion Alex Pereira, and he has explained that this goal is not only driven by a desire to win a second title. Rather, it also stems from the Russian’s dynamic with Imavov, who represents France but was born in Dagestan.
“He’s a good guy,” Chimaev told ESPN. “I know him, he knows me, we know each other. If you ask me, I don’t want to fight this guy, because we know each other.
“Like [as] a Muslim, he’s from Dagestan... You know how Dagestan and Chechen people are like, it’s a little bit like there’s a lot of drama on the internet, [things] I don’t like about it.
“But if the UFC wants it, bro, I’m never gonna say ‘no’. If the guy wants it... I tell his manager as well: ‘Brother, if Nassourdine wants, I’m gonna be open.’
“If he says he can wait until I move up, I would be [grateful]... [If not,] I’m not gonna say ‘no’. I wanna fight this guy. For me it doesn’t matter.”
Imavov, 30, is currently riding a five-fight win streak that has taken his professional record to 17-4. Meanwhile, 31-year-old Chimaev is 15-0.
Chimaev’s electric entry into the UFC in 2020, with stoppage two wins in 10 days, first alerted UFC fans to his talents. Two months later, he added a 17-second knockout of veteran Gerald Meerschaert to further fuel the hype around him. However, illness and travel issues began to muddy the narrative that Chimaev was a future champion.
Still, he eventually earned a title shot after collecting wins over former welterweight king Kamaru Usman and ex-middleweight champion Robert Whittaker, shattering the latter’s teeth with a first-round submission.
He took the middleweight belt from Du Plessis with a one-sided showing, winning 50-44 on all three judges’ scorecards.
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