Dana White extremely impressed with Khamzat Chimaev, calls him “the next big thing in UFC”

At UFC Vegas 11, Khamzat Chimaev took the MMA world by storm as he took out Gerald Meerschaert in just 17 seconds with a sensational KO. After the PPV, many MMA stars and officials including Jon Jones, Joe Rogan and Belal Muhammad reacted to Khamzat Chimaev’s win, but the biggest praise came from Dana White. The UFC President hailed Chimaev at the post-fight press conference and called him “special” before insisting that Chimaev is “different than any fighter" he has ever seen.

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Khamzat Chimaev made his UFC debut back in July 2020 where he defeated John Phillips in the second round via submission. Just ten days after the Phillips fight, Khamzat Chimaev met Rhys McKee at UFC on ESPN 14 where he won via technical knockout in the first round. And now after beating Meerschaert, Khamzat Chimaev holds the unbeaten record of 9-0, with six victories coming by knockout. While answering Megan Olivi's question after the recently concluded PPV, Dana White added that he’s very impressed with Khamzat Chimaev.

"One punch. Seventeen seconds. This kid is special. I've been in the business for a very long time, I've seen a lot of greats come and go; this kid is absolutely special and I've never seen anything like it," Dana White said.

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What’s next for Khamzat Chimaev?

Later, Dana White said that he met Khamzat Chimaev after the fight and “the kid” is ready to face his next opponent. White admitted that he currently has no idea who he’ll let Khamzat Chimaev face next. Khamzat Chimaev had earlier showed interest in fighting Demian Maia, but Dana White claims that the new UFC fighter would have to face one more opponent before getting a chance to face Maia. "This guy is special, man. It's true. [...] I don't know what I do with him yet. He might fight before Maia and fight Maia, too. Maia's not going to be ready in time for this kid," Dana White added.

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Dana White is currently at Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, and is scheduled to stay put for the next five weeks as the promotion returns to the island with a string of shows. The Fight Island The first event (UFC 253) of Fight Island will take place this Saturday, September 26, headlined by a middleweight title bout between champion Israel Adesanya and Paulo Costa. Fight Island will then see three Fight Nights, leading to the last event, UFC 254, which would mark the return of undefeated UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov as he faces interim champion Justin Gaethje in a title unification bout.

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Image Source: AP, UFC/ Instagram