Dana White
The UFC 273 card for April just got a whole lot more interesting, with the addition of Khamzat Chimaev vs Gilbert Burns into the main card – UFC President Dana White hints it might be for the number 1 contender spot
Khamzat Chimaev has taken the MMA world by storm, ever since he made his debut in 2020. The Russian born- Swedish mixed martial artist is pitted to be the only fighter in the welterweight division that really stands a chance to beat the welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman. The promotion has been working relentlessly to get a top-ranked competition for him, and it has finally come to effectuation with a fight against no.2 ranked, Gilbert Burns.
Usually when a top prospect appears on the UFC radar, fans start questioning the legitimacy of the hype, but that hasn’t been the case with Chimaev. His dominance is unlike anyone we’ve ever seen before, and a fight against Burns can lay any questions henceforth to bed.
Gilbert Burns last stepped into the octagon against Stephen Thompson at UFC 264, and won the fight by unanimous decision. The three-time World Champion and World Cup gold medalist in jiu-jitsu, can pose some real problems to Chimaev, given his grappling accolades. He has also developed his grappling game around wrestling to keep up with the ever evolving dynamics of the sport.
The plugging of this fight to the UFC 273 card, makes the PPV even more exhilarating. UFC 273 will be headlined by a featherweight title fight between Alexander Volkanovski and Chan Sung Jung, aka Korean Zombie.
Dana White spoke to the media after conclusion of the UFC 272 PPV, and touched light upon the UFC’s plans for 2022. He even spoke to the media about upcoming fights, and indicated that Khamzat Chimaev vs Gilbert Burns can be for the number 1 contender spot in the welterweight division.
Chimaev and Burns are set to collide on April 9th at the UFC 273 PPV card. This will be Chimaev’s first fight against a top-ranked opponent in Burns, who has also contested for the title once before.
When asked about the prospect of this fight being for the no.1 contender spot, White said ‘Makes sense.’”
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