Josh Thomson labeled Khamzat Chimaev as a “crybaby” after lambasting UFC CEO Dana White for seemingly pivoting away from its promise of a title shot for him. For the former UFC fighter, Chimaev is simply not eligible for the shot. Ultimately, the MMA commentator and analyst reminded the Russian that the executive is not a man of his word.
Chimaev is currently on a break after his win over Kamaru Usman at UFC 294. The fight was announced as the No. 1 contender fight for the middleweight title by the promotion. However, after his injury from the fight, Dricus Du Plessis took his spot, allowing the South African to steal the belt from Sean Strickland and become the new champ of the division. Now, “Borz” wants to claim the promised title shot. Unfortunately, White seems to have a new plan, saying it is still unknown who will be the division’s next title challenger. The 29-year-old expressed his disappointment over the matter.
“They promised me after the [Kamaru Usman] fight that I would fight next for the title. Now, I heard Dana White say, ‘I don’t think Khamzat is next for the title.’ That’s bulls***, man,” Chimaev said on ESPN. “If you promised me something, you have to answer for it. I’m a guy who’s honest with my word; I don’t care if it’s some president or someone else. If he gives me his word, he has to answer for that.”
Thomson immediately echoed other fighters’ sentiments over the talk, including Du Plessis’ point questioning the Russian fighter’s middleweight record. The former mixed martial artist also pointed out that aside from Chimaev simply not making the cut to be the challenger, the issue itself originates from the culture in the UFC, with White not being able to keep his promises.
“He hasn’t fought one contender at 185 pounds, and he’s over here saying he deserves a title shot,” Thomson said on Weighing In. “Give me somebody in the top five. You have a dominant performance, and you look good at 185 pounds against someone in the top five. I’ll say, ‘Go right ahead and give him a title shot.’
“But right now, after listening to his interviews and all this, he sounds like a crybaby. ‘I was promised this! I was promised that!’ Since when does Dana give a sh*t what he’s promised? We’ve seen before, he’s promised fighters a lot. Look, you didn’t have a great performance against Kamaru Usman… Not a good look.”
The talk is not new, as the same is also being experienced in other divisions, including in the case of Belal Muhammad and Justin Gaethje. Recently, the latter recalled the same promise from the executive, only to be booked against Max Holloway for a BMF fight in his next outing. Nonetheless, “The Highlight” believes things could still change.
