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UFC rising star Khamzat Chimaev has admitted that he won’t be too upset if the ‘Notorious’ gets a title shot against Welterweight king, Kamaru Usman, on his return to the Octagon.
Khamzat Chimaev may find himself within touching distance of getting a title shot with Kamaru Usman if he beats Gilbert Burns at UFC 273. However, the Swedish fighter has claimed that he would understand if UFC megastar Conor McGregor get the opportunity to fight Usman before him.
With an undefeated record in MMA so far and having racked up four impressive victories in the UFC, Chimaev is fast becoming one of the hottest properties in the industry. A victory against Burns next month could more than solidify his status as one of the challengers for Usman’s welterweight title.
However, the 27-year-old still feels that former two-division champion Conor McGregor may be more deserving of the opportunity ahead of him. That is primarily because of what the Irish fighter has done for the UFC since his arrival.
Earlier this week, McGregor claimed that he would be open to fighting Usman for the welterweight title. But the Nigerian laughed off those statements from Conor despite it having the potential to be one of the biggest fights of his career.
Nevertheless, Chimaev has said that he wouldn’t blame Usman if the champions agrees to fight McGregor despite being in the hat himself. On his Youtube channel, the Swede highlighted how the fight could bring in money for the UFC.
“If he (Conor) wanna fight Usman, I think it maybe can happen because the guy is so famous. They can make money, good money, both. That’s why if they wanna fight, both, I think the UFC wanna make it.” said Chimaev. The Chechen fighter also invited McGregor to join his training camp once he recovers from his broken ankle, the one he suffered after his trilogy bout vs Dustin Poirier.
Chimaev will also be looking at the opportunity for a title fight if he gets the win vs Burns at UFC 273. A five-fight win streak in the Octagon from Chimaev may give Dana White a lot to think about.
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