Khamzat Chimaev will not be joining the UFC 300 to observe Ramadan.
The historic UFC 300 event is just two months away, and fans continue to guess the pair who will headline the card. Some of the names making the noise include Chimaev, with MMA journalist Ariel Helwani saying the Leon Edwards vs. Khamzat Chimaev fight is the “top choice at the moment” for the promotion.
The pairing makes sense since Edwards continues to refuse to fight Belal Muhammad, who is considered the rightful challenger after the champ beat Colby Covington. Meanwhile, given Chimaev’s record and ability to attract PPV sales, the Russian is indeed an interesting choice for the company.
However, when asked about the matter, “Borz” did not hesitate to dismiss the idea despite the card being a tempting offer. According to the Russian, he won’t fight in April to observe Ramadan.
“I will fight everybody,” Chimaev told MMA Uncensored. “Leon [Edwards], [Dricus] du Plessis, anyone, but not [during] Ramadan. I think Ramadan [is during] UFC 300.
“Maybe somebody in Saudi Arabia. I want to fight there. Not fighting in Ramadan anymore.”
This effectively removes Chimaev from the list of possible names serving as the main event at UFC 300. There are still no words from the promotion about the pair who would lead the card, but CEO Dana White promised that the company is “working on it.”
