UFC middleweight contender Khamzat Chimav hopes to meet Jon Jones in the octagon before all is said and done.
‘Borz’ has been out of the octagon since UFC 294 in October. That night saw Khamzat Chimev face former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, in the biggest test of his MMA career. There, the Chechen defeated ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ by unanimous decision, notching a potential title shot in the process.
As Khamzat Chimaev awaits the winner of Sean Strickland vs. Dricus du Plessis, he’s had a lot of time to think. Speaking in a recent interview with Smile 2 Jannah, the middleweight contender discussed his future. In the interview, he was directly asked about his “dream fight”. Surprisingly, he named Jon Jones as his dream opponent.
Now, that has nothing to do with a hatred for ‘Bones’. Much the opposite in fact. Speaking in the interview, Khamzat Chimaev expressed a lot of respect for Jon Jones and added that he would love to train with him. Moreover, he believes that every fighter who wants to be in the history books should want to fight the heavyweight.
The Chechen also referenced Jon Jones’ history with his teammate, Alexander Gustafsson. While ‘Bones’ handed the Swede two losses, Khamzat Chimaev would love to avenge them. If the two stars ever meet, the middleweight contender believes their bout would be a historic one.
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Khamzat Chimaev discusses dream fight with UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones
“It is Jon Jones.” Khamzat Chimaev responded to a question about his UFC dream fight. “Still, he’s the best fighter in the world right now. He has the most title defense, he’s a two-weight class champion, he’s never lost still. Been the youngest champion in the UFC. If you speak about MMA, everyone knows Jon Jones.”
He continued, “So, he’s the best in history. Nobody’s like him. For sure, he’s the dream match for everyone who wants to be in the history [books]. I’m younger than him, so I hope he’s not going to go soon from his job. Get this fight as well. I like him, I like his training, I watch his training and learn a lot of stuff from him as well. We speak about training, so maybe we can train together. He’s a nice guy, always joking around.”
“…For sure, I think I will win. That’s a hard fight for everyone,” Khamzat Chimaev concluded in the interview. “He’s fighting two times with my training partner, Alexander Gustafsson. They had good fights as well… For sure, I want to fight with this guy. It will be big history if we fight.”
While Khamzat Chimaev would love to face Jon Jones, time is ticking for that potential bout. ‘Bones’ has repeatedly teased retirement ahead of a potential meeting with Stipe Miocic.
What do you make of these comments? Do you believe a fight between Khamzat Chimaev and Jon Jones would ever happen? Who do you have in that potential matchup?
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