D. White in an interview after the UFC 268 (Photo: Reproduction/Youtube)
After Kamaru Usman defeat Colby covington for the second time in the main fight of UFC 268, defending the welterweight belt (up to 77 kg) for the fifth time, expectations are growing as to who can stop the Nigerian in the division. One of the names mentioned, mainly by fans, to dethrone the champion is Khamzat Shimaev.
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The Russian-born Swede became popular with the public in 2020, by overwhelmingly winning three victories in two months, two of which were just 10 days apart. The “Wolf”, as he is known, spent more than a year away from the octagon recovering from a serious case of Covid-19, but returned in UFC 267 with another devastating victory over li jingliang.
The impressive start of Khamzat Shimaev it was enough to reach tenth place in the welterweight rankings, but not to jump the queue for a possible fight against the champion Kamaru Usman, according to Dana White.
“A lot of people are talking about Khamzat Shimaev, saying he is ready. He has four fights in the UFC. I get it, the guy is one of the coolest, baddest things we've ever seen, the way he runs over people. But once he gets into the top 10, the top 5, without even mentioning Usman, it's a completely different ball game. He's a few fights away. If he can beat a few more guys in the top 10 and top 5, then we’ll see,” said Dana.
Regarding Usman's next challenger, Dana White mentioned the British Leon edwards as a strong candidate.
“Leon (Edwards) has been waiting for a title shot for a long time. He fought the fights we asked him to fight. He was very unlucky. Things happen, but he always has someone,” the president left open.
Undefeated since 2015, when he lost precisely to Kamaru Usman, Leon edwards He hasn't lost in ten fights, with nine wins and one no contest. Third placed in the ranking, the Brit faces Jorge masvidal No. UFC 269, in December.
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