Dana White: Khamzat Chimaev Still a ‘Couple Fights Away’ from UFC Title Consideration

While Khamzat Chimaev re-established himself as a prospect to watch at UFC 267, he won’t be fast tracked to a title shot.

After a battle with COVID-19 put him on the shelf for more than a year, Chimaev made an emphatic return on Oct. 30, when he submitted Jingliang Li with a rear-naked choke 3:16 into the opening round of their welterweight clash at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The Allstars Training Center product has barely been touched in four UFC appearances thus far, and he has all the makings of a potential star in the Las Vegas-based promotion.

One week later, UFC president Dana White pumped the brakes on Chimaev being an instant title contender at 170 pounds in the wake of reigning champ Kamaru Usman’s latest belt defense in the UFC 268 headliner.

“You’ve got some guys out there talking about Khamzat Chimaev that he’s ready for [a title shot] – he’s had four fights in the UFC,” White said at the UFC 268 post-fight news conference. “I get it: The dude is one of the coolest, baddest things we’ve ever seen and the way he rips through people. But once you break into the top 10, top five – not even talking about Usman – it’s a whole other game. He’s a couple of fights away. If he can beat a couple of guys in the top 10, top five, then we’ll see.”

While Chimaev figures to have no shortage of potential opponents for his next Octagon appearance, White acknowledged that Leon Edwards is pretty high on the contender’s queue, provided he gets past Jorge Masvidal at UFC 269 next month.

“[Edwards] has been waiting for a title shot for a long time, too,” White said. “He’s been in there, fought the fights we told him to do. He’s had a lot of bad luck. Things happen, but there’s always somebody.”