After defeating Dricus du Plessis earlier this year at UFC 319, UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev is keeping his eye on the top contenders as his title reign gets underway. There is no shortage of potential opponents for Chimaev’s first fight as champion, including Nassourdine Imavov and rising star Anthony Hernandez.
Chimaev, who remains undefeated in his professional MMA career, put in a dominant performance against Du Plessis to win the UFC middleweight title. The fight abruptly ended Du Plessis’ title reign and ended his pursuit of GOAT status at middleweight.
Since UFC 319, Chimaev has been linked to several potential names for his first middleweight title defense, including Imavov and Hernandez. But the middleweight title picture may have to continue without Chimaev after the champion suffered an injury shortly after his title win.
Khamzat Chimaev is targeting a return in mid-2026 for the first UFC title defense
In a recent interview with Adam ZubayraevChimaev revealed a minor injury that has delayed his timeline for his first title defense.
“My return? After Ramadan. Right now I have a small operation on my foot, I will stop training for a few weeks, let it heal.”
‘So we’re going to prepare [for a fight] after Ramadan. Whoever they give me, that’s who I’ll meet.”
Ramadan ends in March, meaning Chimaev’s return timeline will tentatively be sometime between May and July next year. This will allow the division’s top contenders to determine Chimaev’s next opponent, including a potential showdown between Hernandez and former middleweight champion Sean Strickland.
It doesn’t appear that Chimaev’s injury could lead to UFC matchmakers booking an interim middleweight title fight while he is away from the competition. In the meantime, Chimaev will continue to watch from the sidelines as a No. 1 contender emerges.
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