Whittaker was the second former champion that Chimaev has bested after he also took a majority decision over Kamaru Usman in a short-notice matchup at UFC 294, and in total the 30-year-old has added eight UFC victories to his undefeated record since making his promotional debut in 2020.

UFC champion claims Khamzat Chimaev ducked him as Luke Rockhold prepares his return to combat at the age of 40 and demands a bout with the Chechnyan, nearly three years on fr

According to Luke Rockhold, Khamzat Chimaev declined to fight him in the UFC. Rockhold (16-6) claims that upon returning to the octagon from a three-year layoff, he was offered Chimaev, but the unbeaten middleweight turned him down.

Despite only having fought once in late 2024, Chimaev believes he has what it takes to win UFC middleweight gold in 2025. Chimaev currently assumes the No. 3 middleweight ranking behind Israel Adesanya, Sean Strickland, and champion Dricus Du Plessis.

Following UFC 311, Dana White was speaking to reporters and was asked if Chimaev would get a title shot following the match between Dricuss Du Plessis and Sean Strickland. "Yeah, I think he probably gets the next shot," White responded to the question about Chimaev getting the next middleweight title shot.