Khamzat Chimaev signs fight papers; opponent still to be determined
Khamzat Chimaev entered the public consciousness this summer with a historic two-fight UFC debut, beating John Phillips at UFC on ESPN 13 on July 15th and then fighting again just ten days later, beating Rhys McKee at UFC on ESPN 14.
Making his performances even more impressive was how little damage he absorbed, eating just a combined two strikes combined in the two fights.
Last Saturday, at UFC Fight Night 178, Chimaev was faced with perhaps his biggest challenge yet: veteran Gerald Meerschaert. However, he dispatched Meerschaert in a mere 17 seconds with a straight right hand; really the only punch thrown in the entire fight.
Now, the Chechen phenom from Sweden has already agreed to terms for another fight; this time a five-round main event. This will be headlining one of the UFC Apex cards in Las Vegas, according to UFC president Dana White.
Before Chimaev’s fight with Meerschaert. there were reports that the UFC was trying to set up Chimaev vs. former title challenger Demian Maia. However, White has since not revealed if he has a specific opponent in mind, but says that it will be a ranked fighter.
Chimaev, for his part, has seemed open to all takers, posting to his Twitter page that he is willing to fight “anybody, anytime, anywhere.”
