The first PPV card of the year will have massive implications for the UFC’s middleweight division. Sean Strickland takes on Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297. Waiting in the wings are the likes of Israel Adesanya, and Khamzat Chimaev among others. In a recent interview with Mohammed Hijab, Chimaev claimed that the UFC promised him a shot at the title in his next fight.
During their conversation, Hijab asked Chimaev if he would like to fight Strickland next and should UFC president Dana White make that fight. Chimaev replied saying,
“Sean Strickland has to be afraid. I’m coming for him… If he wins against [Dricus Du Plessis], for sure we’re going to fight, 100 percent should be. They promised me that fight. now we’re going to wait [to see] who is winning that fight and take the belt.”
‘Borz’ steamrolled everyone that had been put in front of him so far. However, in two out of his last three fights, Chimaev looked human against Burns and Usman. He had to push himself more than he normally does to secure a win. After securing a win against Kamaru Usman last year in October, ‘Borz’ called for a title shot at 185 pounds.
Unfortunately, he is currently ranked ninth in the middleweight division. This is because most of his fights were at welterweight in the UFC before he was persuaded to move up in weight. In addition to the rankings being an issue, there is another fighter who will have a huge say in who fights the winner of UFC 297.
Israel Adesanya to leapfrog Khamzat Chimaev for a title shot?
Following his recent loss to Sean Strickland, ‘The Last Style Bender’ stated that he would be taking an indefinite break from the sport. However, since then he has changed his stance and said that he would be returning a lot sooner than expected.
Adesanya will be keeping a very close eye on the main event at UFC 297. If Strickland wins, it is unlikely that the UFC will award Adesanya an immediate rematch.
However, if Du Plessis wins, Adesanya is more likely to get a title shot. There is a rivalry as well as an interesting storyline between Adesanya vs Du Plessis. The same can not be said about Chimaev vs Du Plessis. Therefore, Chimaev will be hoping that Sean Strickland gets the job done so he can challenge for the title next.
