Wonderboy Says Hell No To Khamzat Fight In December

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

The UFC is still looking to find a top ranked opponent for up and coming star Khamzat Chimaev, and it’s turning out to be harder than expected.

The quest for Khamzat Chimaev’s next opponent continues, and apparently it’s not been an easy slot to fill for the UFC.

Following Chimaev’s one punch knockout of Gerald Meerschaert at 185 pounds, it became apparent that putting the Chechen fighter against Demian Maia at welterweight as originally planned wasn’t as great of a test as first envisioned. That was when the UFC apparently thought Chimaev was more of a grappling specialist. After learning he could strike, a less specialized opponent was necessary.

The new leading candidate, at least for a hot minute: Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson, ranked number 5 at welterweight. The news that the UFC was looking into throwing the karate fighter against Khamzat came out via Brazilian outlet Combate in the hours leading up to UFC 253, but the premature leak may have sunk the fight entirely as Thompson made it clear he wanted no part of Chimaev.

“We’ve offered it to Wonderboy,” UFC president Dana White said at the UFC 253 post-fight press conference. “Wonderboy wants to fight Leon Edwards so we’ll we’ll see how this plays out. … Wonderboy wants Leon. So we’re nowhere on that thing for anybody to report it. It’s total f**king bulls**t and typical MMA f**king silliness.”

If the UFC can’t get Khamzat vs. Wonderboy lined up, it sounds like Chimaev is happy to go even higher…

What do you think, Maniacs? Who represents a solid challenge for Khamzat without also being an irresponsible jump in competition? One of the nice things about “Borz” is that you can choose from welterweight and middleweight opponents.