With an incredible start to his UFC career, Khamzat Chimaev was destined to be the next big thing. Although he achieved his momentary success, his career was surrounded by various mishaps. With several criticisms regarding his choices, the ‘Borz’ has finally cleared the air.
Khamzat Chimaev recently got into a controversy after he was accused of insider trading with his crypto, Smash coins. After being caught, Chimaev’s manager put out a public apology to control the outrage. However, the damage was done, and many fans blamed Chimaev for scamming his fans. In a recent interview, Khamzat Chimaev mentioned that his manager was at fault and made a mistake about crypto.
Well, my manager… you can say acted stupidly and I also made a mistake in this crypto. I don’t understand [crypto] at all, I trust my manager…Like any other athlete probably doesn’t know what crypto is and how it works, I don’t know for sure. I don’t even have time to look at what it is.
Khamzat Chimaev via Aslanbek Badaev’s YouTube channel
The widespread criticism towards Khamzat Chimaev started after he pulled out of the Robert Whittaker fight. The fight was supposed to take place in Saudi Arabia, but Chimaev was hospitalized and became violently ill. It was Chimaev’s sixth canceled fight, which prompted fans to question his commitment. Things turned worse after the Chechen fighter went viral for beating up a YouTuber in a sparring session.
Khamzat Chimaev addresses the SMASH meme coin scam allegations:
“Well, my manager… you can say acted stupidly and I also made a mistake in this crypto. I don’t understand [crypto] at all, I trust my manager…
Like any other athlete probably doesn’t know what crypto is and… pic.twitter.com/0fvkj2hEtQ
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) July 19, 2024
Given the hype and momentum Khamzat Chimaev had, many fans expected him to win the UFC gold. However, things have not gone according to the plan for the fighter. Nonetheless, it looks like Chimaev is now back on track and has already asked the UFC to give the middleweight championship fight.
Does Khamzat Chimaev deserve the middleweight title opportunity?
Irrespective of all the antics, Khamzat Chimaev is still one of the biggest names in the UFC. The middleweight fighter has a massive fan base in the Middle East and is expected to return at the next Abu Dhabi event. Chimaev has mentioned that he is currently on a seven-fight winning streak and definitely deserves the title over everybody else.
Khamzat Chimaev (via X)However, it is important to note that Chimaev’s seven-fight win streak doesn’t consist of only middleweight fights. He has four middleweight wins, and the other three are in the welterweight division. While this might act as a counter to Chimaev’s claims, UFC veteran Chael Sonnen doesn’t think it matters.
Nobody has ever won seven fights in a row and not fought for the belt…Does that carry over divisions? I say hell yeah, it does.
Chael Sonnen via his YouTube channel
Current champ Dricus Du Plessis is expected to defend the title against Israel Adesanya at UFC 305. However, both of them might not return quickly to defend the belt against Chimaev at UFC 308. Despite Sonnen’s claims, Sean Strickland and Robert Whittaker remain above him in the pecking order.
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