Khamzat Chimaev appears to be pretty easy going in terms of what's next for his UFC career.
Chimaev (15-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) lost his middleweight title to Sean Strickland at UFC 328 in May. He initially called for a rematch after their tightly contested matchup, but with all signs pointing to Nassourdine Imavov (17-4 MMA, 9-2 UFC) as the next title challenger, Chimaev seemingly has stopped that campaign.
Instead, Chimaev threw out various names, which drew interest from Caio Borralho. However, Chimaev said the UFC told him otherwise.
"It doesn't matter to me. I call out everyone," Chimaev told Red Corner MMA in a translated interview. "I want to come back as soon as possible. Earlier, I said that I wanted to return in October, and I called Hunter (Campbell).
They told me that Caio and (Dricus) Du Plessis are injured. We'll see what happens. I don't know exactly. Maybe Imavov and Strickland won't fight, and I'll be ready."
Imavov said he's 100 percent confident he's the No. 1 contender. Imavov is on a six-fight unbeaten streak since losing to Strickland (31-7 MMA, 18-7 UFC) in a short-notice light heavyweight bout in January 2023.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Khamzat Chimaev willing to be backup for Sean Strickland vs. Nassourdine Imavov
