Things are looking increasingly likely that Khamzat Chimaev will fight for the middleweight title next, and an announcement could be imminent.
Following his emphatic win over Robert Whittaker at UFC 308 this past October, it seemed inevitable that Khamzat Chimaev would be next to fight Dricus Du Plessis for the middleweight title.
Despite that, the UFC shockingly announced that Sean Strickland would rematch ‘Stillknocks’ for the title at UFC 312. Du Plessis went on to successfully beat Strickland again, leaving no doubt that Chimaev is next.
‘Borz’ was then given a bigger boost when Dana White revealed that there aren’t any issues keeping Chimaev from fighting in the United States, which was reportedly an issue before.
Darren Till drops hint on Chimaev’s next fight
With the Chechen hopeful of fighting for the title soon, he sent UFC fans wild earlier this week when he hinted at ‘good news’ regarding his career, hinting that his clash against Du Plessis has been booked.
UFC boss, White, teased following UFC 314 on Saturday that Chimaev could fight Du Plessis at International Fight Week’s UFC 317 at the end of June.
And with that, Chimaev’s longtime teammate and friend, Darren Till, has dropped an even bigger hint regarding the 30-year-old’s next fight.
‘The Gorilla’ Till could be a big help in Chimaev’s training camp, considering he fought Du Plessis in 2022 in his final fight in the UFC. Despite being finished by ‘Stillknocks’ Till had several moments of success in the fight.
“Belt time,” Till said in a post on his Instagram story.
“Back to (United Arab Emirates) after the fight to work, son. Khamzat Chimaev, let’s get that belt,” he continued.
Chimaev historically used to train at Allstars Gym in Sweden, however, he has recently linked back up with his old wrestling coach in Russia, where he now trains.
Du Plessis vs Chimaev is one of the most desired fights of 2025
Along with Jon Jones vs Tom Aspinall, Du Plessis vs Chimaev is one of the most desired fights of 2025 as fans continue to clamor for it.
UFC commentator Jon Anik listed it as one of the three fights he hopes the promotion makes before the end of the year.
Fans may not have to wait much longer, and with the UFC’s deal with ESPN now up, the promotion may announce the International Fight Week headliner along with their announcement regarding a new broadcast deal.
