Khamzat Chimaev ready to fight Israel Adesanya and Paulo Costa at UFC Fight Island

UFC’s rising star Khamzat Chimaev has made it clear that he’s ready to fight anyone at any time, including UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and Paulo Costa. Ever since The Wolf made his UFC debut back in July 2020, he has become a massive star, even being hailed as “the next big thing” by UFC president Dana White. He took the world by storm when he knocked out Gerald Meerschaert at UFC Vegas 11 in just 17 seconds, adding another win to his undefeated streak of 9-0. After the win, many wondered whether Khamzat Chimaev would fight someone ranked above him like Demian Maia, but it looks like he’s ready to fight for the belt.

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While talking to TMZ earlier, Khamzat Chimaev claimed that he’s “100 per cent” ready to fight for the title. He said he and his team would be very happy if UFC gives him the chance to make the huge jump and go after the title which is currently being held by The Last Stylebender. Chimaev said that even though he fought Meerschaert on September 20, he’s ready to fly to Fight Island on short notice and serve as the backup for the Israel Adesanya vs Paulo Costa fight. Israel Adesanya and Paulo Costa will clash in the middleweight title bout at UFC 253 which is scheduled to take place on September 26 at Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.

“I am happy to fight with anybody it doesn’t matter (who). Tomorrow, tonight, always ready to fight,” Khamzat Chimaev added.

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Could Khamzat Chimaev vs Israel Adesanya/Paulo Costa happen at UFC 253?

Even though Khamzat Chimaev would love to go up against either of the two, UFC is unlikely to let him fight for the title this soon. If something happens to either Israel Adesanya or Paulo Costa ahead of UFC 253, they would then be replaced by Robert Whittaker or Jared Cannonier as they are next in the UFC middleweight rankings. While talking about Khamzat Chimaev’s next fight at UFC Vegas 11’s post-fight conference, Dana White claimed that he currently has no opponent for the middleweight and welterweight fighter. White added that Khamzat Chimaev would get a fight against UFC veteran Demian Maia in the future, but would have to defeat few more lower-ranked fighters to earn the fight.

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Image credits: Chimaev, UFC Instagram