Khamzat Chimaev

Nate Diaz and Khamzat Chimaev have reached a verbal agreement to fight at UFC 279 on Sept. 10 in Las Vegas' T-Mobile Arena.

UFC Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell relayed the news to ESPN's Brett Okamoto. The Saturday night fight would be a five-round main event, and it would also serve as the last bout of Diaz's UFC contract.

Chimaev provided a clear and succinct comment about the upcoming fight to Okamoto:

Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) provided this comment about the fight to ESPN. Translated from Swedish by his representative Majdi Shammas.

"I am going to handle Nate Diaz's funeral with the UFC."

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) July 19, 2022

Diaz had been asking his release from the UFC on Twitter if he didn't get a fight imminently.

Ufc release now please or give me fight with anyone in July or august
I have bigger shit to do pic.twitter.com/xyYSCBysLs

— Nathan Diaz (@NateDiaz209) June 21, 2022

Send the release 📄

👱🏻‍♂️🥊

— Nathan Diaz (@NateDiaz209) June 21, 2022

However, it appears that one final fight in Diaz's contract will come to fruition.

The 28-year-old Chimaev is 11-0 as a professional with six knockouts and four submission victories. The Russian-born Swede most recently defeated Gilbert Burns by unanimous decision at UFC 273 in April. Chimaev is ranked as the No. 3 contender for the UFC welterweight belt held by champion Kamaru Usman.

Diaz is 20-13 lifetime. The 37-year-old most recently lost to No. 2 welterweight contender Leon Edwards via unanimous decision at UFC 263 in June 2021. His resume includes wins over Conor McGregor, Anthony Pettis, Jim Miller and Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone.

We know Nate Diaz has one fight left on his UFC contract.

And that's about all we know.

Will the UFC re-sign him? Will he head to Bellator or the Professional Fighters League? Will he try boxing? Or will Diaz, as he's threatened to and plausibly could do, simply fight one more time and take his millions and ride into the California sunset? 

As of now, it seems he's interested in moving on from a UFC partnership he believes has kept him inactive in part because he always asks for big money—it's a famillar UFC tactic. And if Diaz's negotiating mindset was unclear before Thursday, he helpfully tweeted a picture of himself triumphantly urinating on the grounds of UFC headquarters. The UFC is not going to like that.

Taking a piss on the ufc pi
I could do this cause I get paid more than all uguys and they won’t cut me pic.twitter.com/doiOxUOh4y

— Nathan Diaz (@NateDiaz209) May 12, 2022

Urination aside, what does the future hold here? Who might Diaz fight next? Don't forget that he is 37 years old now, and truth be told he wasn't a world-beater even in his prime. Diaz's popularity with fans was never about championships, but rather his inimitable charisma in and out of the cage. So the sweet spot is finding a good—but not too good—opponent with comparable name value.

So let's see what we can figure out, shall we? Here are five fighters who have been bandied about as potential dance partners. They're listed from least to most likely.

     

5. Stephen Thompson

In that endlessly friendly way of his, Thompson recently called Diaz out on Twitter, saying the matchup would be a "good striking battle." (Thompson also called out Diaz's older brother Nick, but that bout seems extremely unlikely given that Nick has competed exactly once in the past seven years and tapped to strikes in his bout last year with Robbie Lawler.)

I’m down to fight @nickdiaz209 or @NateDiaz209 ! I have nothing but respect for both of those guys and I’m ready to go. Who wouldn’t love good striking battle?! #respect #readytogo

— Stephen Thompson (@WonderboyMMA) April 27, 2022

Thompson has an unassailable kickboxing pedigree, not to mention 11 wins under the UFC banner. The bout would take place at 170 pounds, with welterweight appearing to be Diaz's preferred class as opposed to 15 pounds less at lightweight. But Thompson can be conservative in his approach and may not give fans the bite-down-on-the-mouthpiece moments they relish, especially when Diaz is involved.

Consider this Plan E for Nate.

    

4. Dustin Poirier

Both competitors actually agreed to this fight until, according to Diaz, the UFC put the kibosh on the matchup.

Speaking on the Weighing In podcast (h/t Chisanga Malata of The Sun), former ref and current MMA pundit John McCarthy opined that "the UFC does not want to allow [Diaz] to fight a big-name guy for the last fight on his contract."

Regardless of reasons, it will be a bummer if this one doesn't come to fruition. Both men like to mix it up—Poirier on the inside and Diaz more from range. Even more importantly, both have the star power to make this a surefire pay-per-view A-side, which isn't necessarily the case with some of these other names.

This one has a wait-and-see feel to it. If Poirier can't find a good opponent down at lightweight, he has made it clear he'll jump up to 170 pounds, where Diaz could well be waiting.

     

3. Michael Chandler

This is the fight Diaz seems to want. And Chandler seems game to give it to him.

UFC got me on ice for a year now chandlers obviously ready to fight send a contract it’s time pic.twitter.com/YJBWEu790F

— Nathan Diaz (@NateDiaz209) May 10, 2022

I’m there. Quick turn around. Spin your head on its axis. @natediaz209 https://t.co/43AJiZtmlx

— Michael Chandler (@MikeChandlerMMA) May 9, 2022

However, Chandler also seems game to face Conor McGregor, and vice versa. In his post-fight interview last weekend (h/t Bloody Elbow), Chandler said he'd like to face Charles Oliveira for the lightweight strap, but "if they give this [lightweight] title shot to someone else, I got one dude on my mind. Conor McGregor, you gotta come back and fight somebody!" 

McGregor responded on Twitter that a bout with Chandler would be "a nice knock" while leaving himself some wiggle room by noting, "I'm definitely game to fight [Chandler] at some stage in my career."

Chandler has plenty of momentum after rearranging Tony Ferguson's face at UFC 274 with the nastiest front-kick knockout the UFC has seen since Anderson Silva felled Vitor Belfort back in 2011. The former Bellator champ makes no secret of the fact that he wants big fights and is ready and willing to put on exciting scraps.

Although both Diaz and Chandler have decent ground games, this one would likely play out on the feet. Diaz can't match Chandler's power but still may be able to outbox him. Win or lose, this is the kind of Fight of the Night candidate that could send Diaz off with a bang.

You know, if the UFC wants to do that. If it doesn't, Diaz is on the outside looking in.

          

2. Khamzat Chimaev

MMA Twitter recently performed a little detective work. In a video interview with UFC President Dana White, a matchmaking chart visible in the background included Diaz vs. Chimaev penciled in for July 2.

Khamzat Chimaev vs Nate Diaz le 2 juillet ???

📸 @thepivot pic.twitter.com/ynzhjOr4lY

— Ilies Mkt (@IliesMkt) May 3, 2022

White subsequently played it down, noting that some of the matchups on the board are "placeholders" and not necessarily official. Diaz himself has also indicated in the past that he isn't interested in facing Chimaev.

On May 8, Diaz has also cited a Chimaev injury as a reason for not facing the 28-year-old. It's an interesting thing to say, as Chimaev only received a 30-day medical suspension after his UFC 273 defeat of Gilbert Burns on April 9 and no other injury has been made public. 

For his part, Chimaev recently claimed that Diaz turned down a fight with him "10 times."

Chimaev, one of the hottest fighters in the UFC, has the wrestling, dynamism and sheer power to rag-doll Diaz around the cage. He'd be a heavy favorite over Diaz, and both men surely know that. This could put a damper on not just the fight itself but the intrigue leading up to it. Who wants to watch their hero get led to slaughter?

That said, as noted, UFC brass has been known to make unfavorable matchups for fighters with the temerity to stand up to them, especially if said fighters are no longer going to be with the promotion anymore. If you're the UFC, why not take some bloom off the Diaz rose if he's set to jump to a competing show?

There is the small matter of fact that this bout would not carry the same pre-fight buzz, particularly among casual fans, that others might. Chimaev is pretty good on the mic, but he's not a huge name, at least not quite yet. This would be a touch anticlimactic for a fanbase looking for one last fireworks display from Diaz.

      

1. Conor McGregor

This is your leader in the clubhouse, even if McGregor appears tempted to move on to other pastures. But he knows full well that none of those pastures are as money-green as a rubber match with Diaz at 170 pounds.

McGregor can probably call his shot for his return opponent after breaking his leg last year in a bout with Poirier. It appears he could jump the contender line at lightweight. Given that Charles Oliveira was stripped of this belt after missing weight at UFC 274—but then did a number on Justin Gaethje in the main event, after which he called out McGregor and no one else—a matchup with the Irishman this summer would have the twist of both men vying for a vacant title. There's also the issue of McGregor's aforementioned dalliance with Chandler.

As for McGregor-Diaz, it can't be overstated: This fight would make everyone involved a lot of money. Adding intrigue is a feeling that Diaz wants to fight now, rather than wait for McGregor to return.

"Many people think Diaz wants to fight McGregor, and it's just not true," said ESPN reporter Brett Okamoto. 

We'll see. With all that money on the line, with the built-in storyline of a trilogy fight and both men wanting to fight at 170 pounds instead of 155, this may be too hard to resist. Oliveira has plenty of other suitors in the deep lightweight division, including the streaking and dangerous Islam Makhachev. Oliveira understandably wants the McGregor payday, but it feels like a square peg in a round hole for now. 

While the UFC surely enjoys sticking it to fighters who stick it to them, money still talks. With McGregor coming back from a serious injury after a yearlong layoff and being 1-3 in his past four dating back to 2018, it's an open question as to how sharp he'll be in his return. Better to give him a winnable fight with Diaz than throw him directly into deep waters.

The UFC can, and I'm betting will, let these two guys sell 2 million pay-per-views rather than cut off its nose to spite its face by feeding Diaz to Chimaev.

It's been official for a little while now. If Colby Covington isn't your pick for the biggest heel on the UFC roster, you're either overthinking or underthinking, though only the former seems fully realistic. That's what being a no-brainer is all about, and when it comes to UFC heels, Covington is the biggest no-brainer we've seen in quite a while.

How do we know? It's not the boos or even the cheers for his well-documented and oft-bigoted public persona. It's not the public criticism or the social media followings. It's the number of top fighters who want to fight him—or at least entertain matchmaking ideas they'd normally ignore or dismiss out of hand.

The most recent top guy to call him out? Belal Muhammad, after his decisioning last Saturday of Vicente Luque, was ready to call Covington's name as soon as the man with the microphone gave him his opening.

"I'm going to stop calling for the champ 'cause nobody wants to give me that shot," Muhammad told broadcaster Daniel Cormier after the fight. "So let me get the big mouth Karen, Colby Covington. He's out here calling out 155ers. Come fight a real 170-pounder, you coward."

But what about the others? Here we've ranked Covington's biggest callouts—given and received—to see what's realistic and where we would be most likely to see some fireworks.

     

4. Belal Muhammad

Welcome to the top five, Belal Muhammad. Neither eye injuries nor plodding decisions nor Luque could keep Muhammad from attaining bona fide contender status at welterweight.

After Saturday's win, which avenged a loss back in 2016, Muhammad gave the distinct impression he had Covington's name chambered and ready well before his plane ever left for Las Vegas.

Muhammad is now unbeaten in eight straight, and he fought a smart fight Saturday, hitting impeccably timed takedowns and flashing nifty footwork over long stretches of the fight. His pressure game would make for an iron-on-iron matchup with Covington, the notorious pressure-fighter with the bottomless gas tank.

I'd watch the heck out of this fight. But even though Muhammad's nickname is "Remember the Name," he may not have the brand recognition (or the super-high-octane fight style) of the other big hitters on the Covington radar.

     

3. Dustin Poirier

This is the one Covington wants.

"I just took care of Miami street trash; now it's time to take care of Louisiana swamp trash," Covington said last month after defeating Jorge Masvidal at UFC 272. "Where you at Dustin Poirier? ... Name the site."

Poirier has plenty of power at lightweight, and he's more skilled than Covington on the feet.

Takedowns, though, now those may get Poirier in trouble. He wouldn't be able to keep the larger Covington off him for three rounds, let alone five.

Covington knows full well that he is a mismatch for Poirier. High-profile opponent, winnable fight, exciting matchup in and out of the cage, bankable payday, no downside.

Well, there might be a downside. While Poirier is in theory as game as always (and not one to turn up his nose at the prospect of a juicy paycheck), he and UFC Prez Dana White seem to prefer a different path for Covington, one that doesn't involve the company's biggest heel mauling its biggest babyface.

     

2. Israel Adesanya

Another one where a weight shuttling would be needed, but it might not be enough to derail a collision between arguably the sport's two largest non-Conor McGregor stars.

"Why can't I fight Adesanya?" Covington wondered last month on Submission Radio (h/t MMA Fighting). "He can't stop my wrestling. I'll pick him up and drop him on his f--king head. He's a cardio kickboxer. They got enough cardio kickboxers in women's classes around the U.S. I could go join one of those as well, but I decided to pick up hard grueling American wrestling. I don't think Adesanya could stop my American wrestling, and I don't think he's that good a fighter."

Egged on by muse and broadcaster Chael Sonnen, Covington has offered to meet the middleweight champ up at 185 pounds. Adesanya has indicated Covington should fight at least once at middleweight before getting a title shot, though Covington appears to view it as more of a one-off. So, stalemate. For now, anyway. As long as Adesanya has challenges at middleweight—if you consider Jared Cannonier a challenge—he won't have to give Covington a second glance.

Matchup-wise, the initial knee-jerk here would be to slap the striker-grappler label on this and proceed without further comment.

But Adesanya's takedown defense is very underrated, and if opponents can get him down, they can't usually keep him down. Covington would be moving up a weight class, so he wouldn't have the same size advantage he'd have over Poirier at 155. Plus Adesanya has faced good wrestlers and pressure fighters before, from Derek Brunson to Marvin Vettori to Kelvin Gastelum.

     

1. Khamzat Chimaev

This not only could be the weirdest clash of heels in recent memory, but it's also on the paper list of the best fights the UFC can make for the second half of 2022.

Chimaev is an unbelievably gifted, electric, ridiculously charismatic fighter. He also has a close relationship with Ramzan Kadyrov, the warlord head of a Chechen government loyal to Vladimir Putin. Sometimes people select their sports villains based on what happens off the playing surface. Within that group of people, there are surely more than a few who view Chimaev as a heel despite his brilliance.

Not to throw water on my own parade, but this may not be a realistic matchup, especially if Covington is more interested in heat and money than competitive glory (and he wouldn't be the first). If he can reel in a big payday with someone like Poirier, there's no reason Covington would go anywhere near Chimaev. But if people can keep Covington's eyes on welterweight and the money and circumstances were right, this would be instant, must-watch television for any combat sports (or any sports) fan.

Khamzat Chimaev defeated Gilbert Burns by unanimous decision at Saturday's UFC 273, a welterweight battle so good it won Fight of the Night honors, so it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that Burns is seeking a rematch.

"I think the judges do whatever they have to do, but I'm just thinking we aren't done," he told TMZ Sports. "Me and Khamzat have to see each other again. Somebody gotta go down next time, I don't care how many rounds we need in there."

Chimaev seems inclined to grant him that rematch:

In 5 rounds I will take your soul see you soon boy 🤪🤙🏼

— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) April 12, 2022

The two certainly had nothing but respect for one another after their first bout concluded:

All respect from @KChimaev after his hard-earned victory 💪 #UFC273 pic.twitter.com/wuoDGt8oE2

— UFC (@ufc) April 10, 2022

But Burns feels like he can catch Chimaev in a rematch.

"Definitely a lot of pop in his hands," he said. "That guy hits very hard. But like I said before, I have a ton of respect for this guy, but I don't see no Superman. I don't see no murderer, no monster. I see a guy just like me with a lot of will, a lot of heart, trying to get a finish."

It's unlikely the rematch would happen immediately, with UFC President Dana White already telling TMZ he was interested in seeing Chimaev face Colby Covington. The winner of that bout would almost assuredly get a matchup with welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.

Burns (20-5) has already faced Usman, losing to him by TKO at UFC 258 in February 2021. He believes if Usman and Chimaev ever faced off, the reigning champion would prevail:

That would be a tough fight. I still think Kamaru hits harder. Kamaru put me out, you know? [Khamzat] hit me with everything and he didn't put me out. ... The IQ of Kamaru Usman, if I gotta answer that question right now, will be the difference. Kamaru is a very intelligent and tested fighter. He's been in the wars, he's been against best guys around and I think Kamaru's MMA wrestling is better than Khamzat's. That's my takeaway.

Chimaev (11-0) is a perfect 5-0 in his UFC career and is one of the fighting promotion's top up-and-coming stars. He's likely just a win away from a title shot. But if he doesn't beat Covington, he'll have Burns waiting in the wings for a much-anticipated rematch.

Alexander Volkanovski defended his featherweight title and earned an extra $50,000 bonus for Performance of the Night at UFC 273, per MMA Fighting.

Volkanovski earned a fourth-round knockout over Chan Sung Jung in the only stoppage among the five bouts on the main card. He improved to 24-1 in his career, including 11 straight wins in UFC.

Aleksei Oleinik won the other Performance of the Night bonus with his first-round submission of Jared Vanderaa.

The Fight of the Night bonus went to Khamzat Chimaev and Gilbert Burns after their three-round battle:

CHIMAEV SURVIVES TO STAY UNDEFEATED 😤 #UFC273pic.twitter.com/CyLFRAq8b0

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) April 10, 2022

Chimaev was the winner by unanimous decision, but both competitors left it all on the mat during a thrilling battle.

It was the 11th straight win for Chimaev to begin his professional career, earning a bonus in each of his last five fights since joining UFC.

Khamzat Chimaev is still undefeated, but he is clearly not invincible.  

The Chechen-born Swede returned to the UFC's Octagon in the middle bout of the UFC 273 main card, taking on No. 2-ranked welterweight contender Gilbert Burns, who challenged Kamaru Usman last year for the division's championship. 

Entering the fight, the widespread belief was that Chimaev would slice through his more experienced foe, whether he got the job done by way of knockout or submission. The odds reflected this perception, as he was among the biggest betting favorites on the card. 

But that's not how it happened. Far from it.

Burns asserted himself as a far more serious challenge than he was getting credit for early in the first round, denying Chimaev's first takedown attempt of the fight and landing some pretty significant shots as the round progressed. Chimaev fired plenty of heavy artillery in return, but unlike his previous opponents, Burns didn't go away.

That trend continued into Round Two, as the pair turned the tables on each other over and over again, blasting one another with punches and kicks on the feet, shooting for takedowns, and searching for submissions whenever the fight hit the mat.

By the time the third round began, both welterweights were visibly fatigued, and Burns was leaking blood from a cut along his hairline—the product of a Chimaev elbow late in the second frame. Despite their dwindling energy reserves, the pair continued to fight with extreme intensity for the entirety of that final round, pelting each other with punches that most likely would have stopped lesser fighters in their tracks.

Given the way both men were fighting, it was frankly shocking that the judges were required, but that's the way it happened. And while all three scored the fight in Chimaev's favor, it was clear as the decision was being read that something had changed. The fans seemed to sense this. Some even booed as he began his post-fight interview—a radical departure from the raucous applause that served as the soundtrack for his walk to the cage.

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

"I didn't know he was so tough," a bruised and bloodied Chimaev said in his post-fight interview with UFC color commentator Joe Rogan. "The guy came out with Brazilian heart. I know Brazilians. … They’re f--cking tough."

It's no surprise that there was some disappointment in the air inside the host VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.

Chimaev had won his first four fights in the Octagon, all by stoppage, all in less than 15 minutes combined. On the heels of those victories, he looked downright unbeatable. Many fans and pundits were already hailing him as a future champion at both welterweight and middleweight, so seeing him pushed to the brink of defeat by a man he was supposed to beat was jarring. It was like catching Batman without his mask on and realizing, "Hey, that's just Bruce Wayne."

But should we have been so surprised?

For all his previous dominance in the Octagon, Chimaev was a total mystery heading into his UFC 273 with Burns. We knew he was a venomous finisher with a wolf-like killer instinct. But we didn't know how he'd respond when the early finish failed to materialize. We didn't know how durable his chin was. We didn't know what kind of gas tank he was driving with. 

When you consider all of that, his hype seems a little overblown in hindsight. Maybe he will be a champion, but he can clearly be beaten by the top dogs of the welterweight division, which happens to be ruled by the sport's top pound-for-pound fighter in Usman.

Then again, there is a silver lining to Chimaev's less-than-perfect performance at UFC 273: It answered most of the questions his doubters had about him. Now we know he can adjust his game plan when he can't score an early finish. Now we know he can take a hard shot. Now we know he has a solid gas tank—solid enough to fight for three hard rounds, at least. We'll see how he holds up over five if he ever has the opportunity. 

Time will tell what the future holds for the fighter widely hailed as MMA's brightest young talent.

One way or the other, however, his UFC 273 fight with Burns was proof that he can be beaten and a reminder that every fighter, no matter how good they look in victory, can be. 

Khamzat Chimaev is doing his best to get a fight with Colby Covington. 

Speaking to reporters ahead of Saturday's UFC 273 event, Chimaev called the former UFC interim welterweight champion "a b---h" who doesn't actually want to fight him. 

“I don’t think he wants to fight me. He’s gonna go to the cops. Dana White will be in jail if they make that fight."@KChimaev says Colby Covington isn't "gangster" and UFC has to "kick him out" because "he's a b*tch" 😳

Full #UFC273 media day scrum ▶️ https://t.co/GuBjE0pBx9 pic.twitter.com/6nUz7o3OaH

— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) April 6, 2022

Chimaev and Covington have been going back and forth through the media for months. 

In an October interview with Red Corner MMA (h/t Jed Meshew of MMAFighting.com), Chimaev called Covington a "stupid American bulls--t boy" and said he was "coming for" him. 

Speaking to BT Sports last month (h/t Farah Hannoun of MMA Junkie), Covington said Chimaev needed to win some fights before he would consider a bout with him. 

"Earn your way up and no problem—I’ll kick you right back down," Covington said. "I love destroying hype trains. I’m going to destroy one hype train this weekend in (Jorge) Masvidal. He’s never going to be the same ever again and no one is going to care about his fights."

Covington is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Masvidal at UFC 272 on March 5. He lost two of his previous three bouts, with both losses coming against Kamaru Usman for the welterweight championship. 

Chimaev has only been in UFC for two years. He signed with the promotion after competing in Brave Combat Federation. The 27-year-old is 10-0 in his mixed martial arts career (4-0 in UFC). All four of his UFC wins have come via stoppage, including three in the first round. 

Saturday's event from VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville will be Chimaev's biggest test yet. He is scheduled to fight Gilbert Burns in a welterweight showdown. 

UFC president Dana White has yet to announce Covington's next opponent. Chimaev will almost certainly put himself on the radar with a victory over Burns at UFC 273.     

Every long-term MMA fan knows to be wary of hype. History has shown us that for every fighter who lives up to their early hype—stars like Conor McGregor and Israel Adesanya are good examples—there are dozens who don't, such as Erick Silva, Sage Northcutt, Paige VanZant and Houston Alexander.

Yet heading into 2022, there is one fighter who seems to have even the most cynical of fans and pundits drinking the Kool-Aid: Khamzat Chimaev (10-0).

Chimaev, 27, made his UFC debut in July 2020, defeating John Phillips by second-round submission at middleweight. The Chechnya-born Swede returned to the Octagon 10 days later, defeating Rhys McKee by first-round TKO in a short-notice welterweight fight. His third fight came less than two months thereafter, when he flattened Gerald Meerschaert in just 17 seconds, once again at middleweight. 

After that jaw-dropping display of skill and killer instinct, Chimaev was the most hyped fighter in all of MMA. Bleacher Report named him the rising star to watch for 2020. UFC President Dana White oozed superlatives at the mere mention of the undefeated Swede's name.  

"The guy is special," White told the press after Chimaev knocked out Meerschaert. "I've been in this game my whole life. I've never seen anything like him. He's special, he's different." 

"I think when you're a fight fan, a guy like this is the type of guy that you love to watch and follow and hate and whatever it might be. This guy is one of the most special fighters I've ever seen, if not the most special guy that I've ever come across. And he kept telling me leading up to this fight, ‘You think I'm a wrestler. Wait until you see my hands.' Holy s--t, he wasn't lying."

Chimaev fought just once in 2021, which gave us some pause as we considered naming him Bleacher Report's rising star to watch for a second consecutive year. Yet his inactivity was hardly his fault, as he was sidelined by a long and complicated case of COVID-19.

His illness was so severe that he even briefly considered retirement—and contemplated much darker possibilities.   

"I jumped in grappling sparring, did three rounds," Chimaev told ESPN's Brett Okamoto in April. "[I] feel bad in my chest, I said, 'Coach, I go out.' I go home and start to [cough] blood. I was never scared about my life. I'm scared about what my mom is going to do after I die. My mom, my brothers—I was thinking, 'What are they gonna do after I die?' I start with this MMA s--t because of my family. I want to make some good life with them."

Chimaev made one hell of a statement in his lone fight of the year, though, thrashing Li Jingliang—a ranked welterweight contender—to an effortless-looking first-round submission victory. With that performance, he's now earned four UFC wins across two weight classes in just 12:54—and he's only been hit one time in that stretch.

Chimaev's ridiculous dominance has earned him the No. 11 spot in the UFC's welterweight rankings. From that enviable vantage point, he's called out a host of top fighters, from Nate Diaz to two-time title challenger Colby Covington to the reigning welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.

White told Okamoto that Chimaev is not in line for a title shot just yet, but he has also made it clear that he's willing to give the unbeaten welterweight special treatment. The kind of treatment not even the massively popular Sean O'Malley is afforded.

"You guys wanna throw [O'Malley] to the wolves," White told Barstool Sports' Robbie Fox. "You don't move somebody that fast [into big fights] unless they're Khamzat Chimaev. Khamzat is a guy you'll feel comfortable moving that fast."

There's no two ways about it. At the end of 2021, there's still no fighter in MMA whose stock is rising faster than Chimaev's, and no fighter on as many must-watch lists as he is. Calling anybody else the rising star to watch for the year, then, would be unjustifiable.