Earning wins in the UFC is certainly no easy task, but what comes next is often even more important: the post-fight callout.
So after Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN 13 event in Abu Dhabi, who took advantage of their time on the mic? See below for this week’s Callout Collection – and just how realistic each one is.
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First up, let’s take a look at the preliminary card …
Khamzat Chimaev
Wants to fight:Donald Cerrone
The callout: “I never felt in trouble, I do this with all my opponents, I smash them all, first round, second round. I have seven wins, seven finishes. I could fight next week if they have. I told them, give me Donald Cerrone. If they give me (him) it’d be an amazing fight for me. I’m gonna smash him and everybody going to talk about it.”
The reality: Khamzat Chamaev made quite the impression on his UFC debut as he totally dominated John Phillips en route to a second-round submission victory. He showed his confidence and ambition in his post-fight interviews, too, as he called for a shot at one of the UFC’s biggest fan-favorite fighters.
Following his middleweight win on “UFC Fight Island,” a matchup against Cerrone would represent the chance for Chimaev to prove his credentials and make an instant impact in his optimal weight class of welterweight, but it seems unlikely that the UFC would throw him in with one of the sport’s biggest names in just his second fight for the promotion.
It seems more likely that the UFC will build Chimaev gradually, most likely against international opposition, for his next couple of fights. A matchup with someone like Gunnar Nelson would offer a fascinating test of his credentials. If he handles “Gunni” as well as he did Phillips, the wait for bigger-name tests likely won’t be long.
Next up: “The Sniper” picks his next target
Callout Collection: Who UFC on ESPN 13 winners want next – and how likely they'll get them
