Khamzat Chimaev

Leon Edwards' Saturday night win over Kamaru Usman marked the beginning of a new chapter for the UFC welterweight division—and not just because it cemented him as the division's true king.

England's Edwards (21-3, one no-contest) defended the promotion's welterweight belt against the Nigerian-American Usman (20-3) in the main event of UFC 286 on Saturday night in London. After five competitive and entertaining rounds—and a handful of fouls that ultimately led to an Edwards point deduction—the Brit was named the winner by majority decision.

It was the third time the two welterweight stars met in the Octagon. Usman won their first encounter by unanimous decision in 2015, and Edwards claimed the title with a stunning fifth-round knockout of Usman last August—easily one of the biggest upsets of the year.

The pair's 1-1 score, along with Usman's previous dominance as the champion, made an immediate tiebreaker a near certainty from the moment Edwards won their second fight.

Rematches are nothing new at the top of the welterweight division. In fact, over the last few years, they've been routine. Case in point: In his eight fights for the UFC welterweight title, Usman fought just five opponents.

Now that Edwards has emerged the victor in their three-fight rivalry, that trend should finally subside. In fact, it's hard to recall a time when there were so many exciting matchup options for the UFC welterweight champion.

From here, the most deserving contenders for a crack at Edwards' title are probably Kazakhstan's Shavkat Rakhmonov and Chicago's Belal Muhammad. Rakhmonov is 17-0 as a pro and 5-0 in the UFC, with wins over the likes of Neil Magny and Geoff Neal.

Muhammad, meanwhile, is on an eight-fight streak with wins over a number of top fighters and actually has some unfinished business with Edwards after their first attempt at fighting ended with a no-contest due to an eye poke.

While Rakhmonov and Muhammad are probably the most deserving contenders at the moment, they're certainly not the only options.

The next shot could also go to former interim welterweight champ Colby Covington who, despite going 0-2 in fights with Usman, has remained one of the division's best fighters and was in the building for Saturday night's welterweight title fight, talking plenty of trash from Octagon-side in the process.

Then there's Jorge Masvidal. He's clearly in no position to call for a title shot after two losses to Usman and a loss to Covington. Yet he is arguably Edwards' greatest nemesis thanks to an infamous backstage brawl at a UFC card in London in 2019, and if he can defeat Gilbert Burns at UFC 287 next month, he'll be right back in the mix.

Rising star Khamzat Chimaev is also in the conversation for a title shot despite a grotesque scale fail the last time he tried to make the welterweight limit. The fact is that he is undefeated as a pro, with most of his best wins occurring in the welterweight division. And like Muhammad and Masvidal, he has some history with Edwards, having been slated to fight the Brit on three separate occasions to no avail.

Then, of course, there is Conor McGregor, who is always in the mix for a title shot at both lightweight and welterweight on the basis of his massive star power alone. The Irishman is set to fight Michael Chandler at 170 pounds sometime later this year—and a victory would be his first since 2020—but he recently expressed interest in fighting for the welterweight title, and both Edwards and Usman reciprocated that interest. Dollars make sense, after all.

Even UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev wants a piece of the welterweight king.

"I want Leon next, October in Abu Dhabi," he wrote on Twitter after the UFC 286 main event concluded.

There is no question that Usman's reign atop the welterweight division was incredible, but if there is one knock against him, it's that he didn't have much variety in terms of opponents. That's not his fault, but it is a fact.

Whether Edwards keeps the title for another six months, another year, or another few years, it seems that will not be a problem for him.

Throw a dart at the welterweight Top 15, and you will most likely hit a fresh and compelling opponent for the champion.

The joyful rage with which Khamzat Chimaev dismantled Kevin Holland on Saturday at UFC 279 was truly a sight to behold.

The excitable Chimaev, who scuttled his main event with Nate Diaz after missing weight by more than seven pounds, controlled the co-main event from pillar to post, overwhelming a proven veteran with a first-round D'Arce choke submission. It was like watching a giant baby throw his toys around the room without realizing they were full-grown adults.

If that doesn't paint enough of a picture, consider the UFC statistics. In two minutes and 13 seconds of action, Holland failed to attempt, much less land, a single strike. That will happen when you spend all your time desperately trying to scramble out of a relentless barrage of submission attempts. Chimaev was in control for 1:56 of the contest, so all but 17 seconds. That's pretty stark.

Still, you have to see Chimaev to believe him—the way he sprints toward his opponent and upends him, dumping him on the mat so quickly and so forcefully and laying on punishment and working for submissions so rapidly and methodically that the opponent shuts down. The win put the 28-year-old Chechen-Swede at 12-0 overall and 6-0 in the UFC. The only UFC opponent to go the distance with Chimaev was Gilbert Burns earlier this year in that memorable Fight of the Night performance. Four opponents didn't make it past the first round.

Interestingly, that big weight miss might have opened the door to new competitive possibilities for Chimaev. The natural welterweight just competed at a 180-pound catchweight and destroyed a longtime middleweight in Holland. Chimaev has long had designs on being a dual champion, and this bit of serendipity could add fuel to the fire. Though he clarified after the fight that he would return to welterweight, where he is No. 3 in the official rankings, Chimaev reiterated his desire to make a run at 185 pounds, which seems closer to reality than ever.

"I'm going for both weight classes," Chimaev told broadcaster Joe Rogan after the fight, per MMA Fighting. "We'll go for both belts."

With possibilities in both weight classes and more momentum than perhaps any other fighter on the UFC roster, Chimaev is in a good position to call his shots. Here's a look at three possibilities that could work for his next engagement.

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Colby Covington

Covington has the wrestling and the gas tank to push Chimaev into the later rounds, where his white-hot fury tends to wane. He's also not above a brawl and could sucker the hyper-eager Chimaev into a mistake. It would also be interesting to see Chimaev attempt (or not attempt) to ply his wrestling pressure against a true wrestling standout in Covington.

Perhaps just as importantly, this is a bout between two polarizing figures. Covington is a full-throated supporter of MAGA nation, while Chimaev is prone to volatility (see: UFC 279 press conference, canceled after Chimaev helped instigate a backstage melee) and is a close friend and associate of oppressive Chechen politician, Vladimir Putin ally and MMA fan Ramzan Kadyrov. These aren't the kinds of things you'll see in a UFC promo, but a little heel-on-heel violence is always intriguing.

The problem: Covington doesn't have a ton of incentive to take this fight. Chimaev is younger and more explosive, and he would likely be installed as the favorite. Covington appears much more interested in catchweight showcases with bigger names, such as Dustin Poirier and middleweight champ Israel Adesanya. Neither of those seems particularly likely, but it gives you a sense of Covington's personal matchmaking head space. From that perspective, the more dangerous, less famous option probably doesn't get fast-tracked to the front of the queue.

I want Khamzat Chimaev vs. Colby Covington. I'm 90% sure that Covington wants nothing to do with Chimaev.

— Andreas Hale (@AndreasHale) September 11, 2022

Still, I'd love to see it, as would most of the MMA community.

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Gilbert Burns

Two words: re. match. As previously mentioned, Burns is the only fighter to give Chimaev a run for his money.

Chimaev took a 29-28 scorecard from all three judges but earned it after a Fight of the Year candidate with Burns. Between them, they landed 227 significant strikes (119-108 in Burns' favor), and Chimaev hit two of three takedowns and racked up more than two minutes of control time—no mean feat against a decorated Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt like Burns. Still, Burns twice briefly dropped Chimaev in the second round and bloodied his nose in easily the most damage Chimaev had taken in the UFC. The fight ended with an incredibly close round that saw both fighters exhausted and fighting to the bottom of their gas tanks.

These two just left it ALL in the Octagon. What. A. Fight 🔥

[ #UFC273 | LIVE on @ESPNPlus PPV: https://t.co/KOluT78H6K ] pic.twitter.com/zTz9bbGVOf

— UFC (@ufc) April 10, 2022

Burns has frequently called for a rematch, so if nothing else, you have a willing opponent—a positive quality in and of itself when you're talking about Chimaev. One wrinkle: Burns apparently has agreed in principle to a bout with Jorge Masvidal, so his dance card may be full for the foreseeable future. But this one will always be on the table as an intriguing run-back.

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Paulo Costa

Holland was a middleweight for six years and was planning to fight Daniel Rodriguez at 180-pound catchweight even before he was slotted in against Chimaev. But he returned to welterweight earlier this year, again making it his default home.

In other words, even on his biggest days, no one is characterizing Kevin Holland as a big middleweight. If Chimaev really wants to test his mettle in the 185-pound division, he should jump into that with both feet. That means facing down the incredible hulk that is Paulo Costa.

It's a winnable fight for Chimaev, but Costa's size alone offers distinct challenges to his wrestling and overall approach. Chimaev will not be able to rag-doll Costa the way he did Holland.

But don't take it from me. Take it from Costa himself.

"I know [Chimaev] just want to fight small guys, short guys, shy guys like Burns," Costa told The Mac Life (h/t MMA Junkie). "Guys who you can beat and be a bully, but I'm not. I'm a big one, I'm the biggest middleweight in the UFC, so you cannot bully me. When you show up, I will be here, ready for you because you are a 'Gourmet Chechen,' you are a fake gangster, so that's it."

I know I'd tune in for this.

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Winner of Rematch Between Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards

There's no question that, barring some misfortune, Usman-Edwards 3 will take place in the foreseeable future, likely at the end of this year or early next. UFC brass is pulling out all the stops to schedule a show in Edwards' native England.

It's fitting for a guy who just pulled out one of the greatest come-from-behind wins in UFC history, knocking out champ Kamaru Usman in the fifth and final round to take the welterweight title.

These guys have unfinished business. But no matter who wins, who else but Chimaev would receive the title shot? Covington, the only fighter outside of Edwards and Usman to sit higher than Chimaev on the rankings, would surely try to talk his way into a date with Edwards. But with all the talent and heat around Chimaev? It's not a hard call.

It would mean Chimaev has to sit on the shelf for a while—especially if Covington ducks him, and that would be another reason they wouldn't give Covington a title shot over Chimaev—and that may not be palatable. It's also no fun for fans to have such an electric talent healthy but on the bench for an extended period of time.

That's why, to me, Covington-Chimaev is the match to make. There would be plenty of ill will in the lead-up to the showdown, and it would pit two great wrestlers, both with proven experience under the bright lights, against each other. And then in the winner, you'd have your clear-cut, surefire challenger for the next belt. (In this instance, they might even give Covington one last shot at Usman, given that the previous two bouts were close.)

But it's anyone's guess, and the dust is still settling from a wild weekend in Las Vegas. Wherever Chimaev ends up next, he'll be appointment viewing for anyone who wants to witness next-level MMA—and, quite likely, a future champion.

While the UFC did not discipline any of the fighters for the backstage altercations that led to the cancellation of Thursday's UFC 279 news conference, the Nevada Athletic Commission could do so depending on the outcome of its investigation.

"The Nevada Athletic Commission will strictly discipline all licensees for all incidents of physical violence between athletes outside the ring or cage, up to and including purse forfeiture, revocation or suspension of any current license, denial of applications for new applicants, or denying future license renewals," NSAC chairman Stephen J. Cloobeck said in a statement, per Marc Raimondi of ESPN.

Raimondi described the chaos, which he noted began with a "near brawl between UFC fighters Khamzat Chimaev and Kevin Holland."

Chimaev approached Holland, words were exchanged, Holland pushed him away, and Chimaev landed a front kick before UFC fighter Li Jingliang attempted to break them up. MMA agent Tiki Ghosn was among those helping to break up the fight, and Nate Diaz and his group threw water bottles at him when they assumed he was with Chimaev.

UFC President Dana White canceled the news conference and told reporters: "I'm in very weird waters. This has never happened in the history of this company."

That was just the beginning of the strange occurrences, as Chimaev missed weight by 7.5 pounds. That forced a reshuffling of the fight card with Diaz facing Tony Ferguson, Holland and Chimaev squaring off, and Li meeting Daniel Rodriguez.

Diaz-Ferguson was the headliner, and the former put on a show while clinching a fourth-round submission victory at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

It may have been the last fight of Diaz's UFC career. If so, he went out with a statement.

Khamzat Chimaev didn't come close to making weight for his originally scheduled fight against Nate Diaz, but he apparently wanted to go head-to-head anyway.

Chimaev told UFC interviewer Megan Olivi that he offered to give Diaz his purse to have the UFC 279 main event to go on as scheduled.

“I could make that weight, so the doctor stopped that s--t. So yeah, what I could do now? I was waiting what UFC said to me. I said I wanna fight, so I gave all my money to [Diaz]. It was almost two million. So I said, 'Give all my money to that guy, let him fight.' If he is that gangster, he should fight for money. But he didn’t wanna fight me, you know? So, who’s the gangster now?”

Chimaev weighed in Friday at 178.5 pounds, seven pounds over the limit for his bout against Diaz. The Russian's inability—or unwillingness—to cut weight sent UFC 279 into a state of chaos, with Dana White shuffling three matches on the card to make things work. Chimaev wound up fighting Kevin Holland, while Diaz took on Tony Ferguson.

“You care about that s--t? I don’t care,” Chimaev told reporters when asked about criticism over his weight. “I care about my family. I care about my career. I care about my money. … One day they’re with me, one day they’re not with me.

“So, I’m real, guys. So, I like the people that are real. Not fake people going one way or going the other way.”

Both Diaz and Chimaev were victorious in their make-up fights.

Khamzat Chimaev finished a turbulent weekend on a positive note with a first-round submission win over Kevin Holland in the co-main event of UFC 279 from Las Vegas.

The action was fast and furious from the start, as Chimaev immediately jumped on a takedown attempt at the opening bell, and Holland was forced to scramble just to survive.

THIS FIGHT IS OFF TO A WILD START 🤯

STREAM #UFC279 NOW ➡️ https://t.co/9Eaf451BCo pic.twitter.com/rDK4qB5R4a

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 11, 2022

While he was successful for a bit, the inevitability of Chimaev was too much. He latched on to a D'Arce choke, and while it had to be reapplied a few times, he locked it in and drew the tap from Holland.

KHAMZAT GETS IT DONE IN ROUND 1 😱 #UFC279 pic.twitter.com/gREltzGjnP

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 11, 2022

The win keeps Chimaev from a disastrous weekend, but it's hard to consider him a winner all things considered. Chimaev was given a golden opportunity to show off his skills against a relatively big draw in Nate Diaz as the headliner.

Instead, he was relegated to fighting Holland after weighing 7.5 pounds over the 171-pound allowance in the welterweight division.

UFC President Dana White shed some light on why Chimaev missed weight so badly.

"He was very, very lean already, and he should have come in on weight," White told reporters. "He started to cut weight, and he started locking up and cramping and all the things that happen from a bad cut."

Regardless, Chimaev kept his winning streak alive despite the last-minute opponent change.

It does open up questions about what happens next for the 28-year-old. Chimaev seemed like a lock for a title shot with a win at UFC 279, but now there's the question of whether he can continue making the cut down to 170 pounds.

This is the first time he has missed weight in the UFC, but at 6'2", he's a big welterweight.

As long as he can prove this was a one-time fluke, he's likely to continue his ascent as a UFC star.