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Khamzat Chimaev Looms Over Israel Adesanya After Colossal UFC Rankings Jump

Khamzat Chimaev debuts in the UFC middleweight top-three.

Mathew Riddle

Chimaev (Getty) / Adesanya (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Khamzat 'Borz' Chimaev is now a top-three UFC middleweight contender, following his dominant submission victory over Robert Whittaker at UFC 308.

Whittaker was widely considered to be Chimaev's toughest stylistic matchup in the middleweight division. This didn't stop Chimaev from submitting him in the first round with a face crank that displaced his teeth.

Khamzat Chimaev Makes Insane UFC Rankings Leap; Looms Over Israel Adesanya
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Now in the latest UFC rankings update, formerly No. 13 Chimaev has jumped ten spots to No. 3, pushing Whittaker down to No. 4. 'Borz' sits underneath champion Dricus Du Plessis, No. 1 contender Sean Strickland, and No. 2 Israel Adesanya.

Next Fight for Khamzat Chimaev

Assuming Chimaev can stay injury or illness-free, he has two options for his next fight. Firstly, if Du Plessis rematches Strickland, Chimaev can fight for the No. 1 contender spot against Adesanya. Otherwise, he could shoot straight to a title shot, which is Team Du Plessis' preferred fight.

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Mathew Riddle
MATHEW RIDDLE

Mathew is a UK-based combat sports journalist, graphic designer, and SEO expert with over five years of experience in digital marketing and a dedicated four-year track record in MMA journalism. He joined MMAKO in 2023. Mathew's insights have been featured on The Fight Fanatic, Heavy on UFC, Fansided, and Sportskeeda. Reach him at mr@thefightfanatic.com.

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