Kh͏amz͏a͏t Chi͏maev ͏is close͏r than ever to clinching the middl͏e͏weight title if he͏ gets past͏ R͏ober͏t Whitt͏ak͏er. The undefeate͏d phen͏omenon was ͏suppo͏sed to be champion m͏uch ͏s͏ooner, but COVID-19 c͏aught him off ͏guard, and he had to ͏relinquish m͏any fight͏s, whi͏ch halted his pr͏ogr͏ess. However, things appear to be changing now, as͏ ‘Borz’ is just one f͏ight away from becoming the number one title ͏con͏tender.

As we are closer to the conclusion of the anticipated fight, a question has been making rounds on the minds of the fans: What’s next for the Emirati fighter, whether he claims victory or faces defeat?

Will Khamzat Chimaev fight for the title if he wins at UFC 308?

“I would like to fight for the title. I have seven fights, and seven victories. There is no fighter in the UFC who has won seven fights without fighting for the belt,” said Khamzat Chimaev back in July when he was prepping for UFC 308. ‘Bor͏z’s caree͏r ͏has been͏ one of t͏he ͏most twi͏st͏ed on the UFC ͏r͏os͏͏ter͏ ͏to d͏ate. When he͏ firs͏͏t͏ ma͏͏de ͏h͏is͏ ͏mark under the pr͏o͏motion, he de͏f͏eated͏ tw͏o ͏fighters͏ ͏͏i͏n ͏just 10 days. Howev͏er,͏ he ͏no͏w has on͏ly two f͏ight͏s ͏in͏ two͏ ͏y͏e͏ars, w͏hich has seriously͏ h͏amp͏er͏ed hi͏͏s͏ p͏opul͏ar͏͏ity.͏͏ ͏Th͏ing͏s might ͏tu͏r͏n for ͏t͏he ͏bet͏ter if Chimaev cl͏inches v͏icto͏ry a͏g͏ains͏t ͏R͏obert ͏Whittaker ͏at UFC͏ 30͏8͏.

A victory for Khamzat Chimaev at the UFC Saudi Arabia would mean a step closer to becoming the middleweight champion. Let’s assume that Chimaev earns the victory at UFC 308 then there’s a huge chance that Dana White and the promotion would schedule a fight between him and Dricus Du Plessis. The UFC CEO had emphasized that before making this fight, Du Plessis would have had to fight Sean Strickland again to defend his title for the second time. However, if that fight doesn’t happen, then it’s Chimaev who will take that piece of the cake.

Interestingly, Dricus Du Plessis is also eager to fight ‘Borz’, “What I would love is to fight Khamzat and be the first guy to beat him. The one is with my heart, and the other is me as an athlete and thinking about my career. I would love to be the first guy to beat Khamzat, and I know I can beat Khamzat… I’m gonna go Robert Whittaker [to win],” said Du Plessis in a conversation with the media.

Now that we know about what would happen if he clinches the victory against Robert Whittaker, let us have a look at what can happen if he fails to defeat ‘Reaper.’

What’s next for Khamzat Chimaev if he loses?

Khamzat Chimaev remains undefeated in his MMA career, and imagining his first loss seems almost far-fetched. However, his upcoming fight could prove challenging, as he will be facing off against Robert Whittaker. With a career record of 13 victories and 0 losses, Chimaev may get the first defeat of his career against Whittaker tonight. So what if he gets a thrashing defeat by the hands of ‘Reaper’?

Well, a defeat at UFC 308 would mean that Khamzat Chimaev would have to prove himself once again to get close to the title shot. Beating Whittaker guarantees entry into the middleweight top 5 and losing means taking a longer route for the Chechen. Well, there is also the chance that Dana White might throw Israel Adesanya at him. The former middleweight champ is also having a bit of a struggle to find his past momentum and this fight would mean that either Adesanya or Chimaev would be back in the title picture which will be immensely beneficial for the promotion.

In addition to that, Chimaev might finally get a chance to settle his grudge against Brazilian Paulo Costa who is riding a two-fight losing streak against Robert Whittaker and Sean Strickland. Both of these fighters were supposed to fight at UFC 294 but a staph infection stopped Paulo Costa from fighting Chimaev and there’s no better time to fix this fight if ‘Borz’ loses his battle against Whittaker. Regardless, do you believe ‘Borz’ can defeat Robert Whittaker? State your thoughts in the comments below.