Dana White open to Kamaru Usman vs. Khamzat Chimaev – only at middleweight

Dana White is willing to consider Kamaru Usman vs. Khamzat Chimaev under one condition.

In a recent interview with ESPN, former welterweight champion Usman (20-3 MMA, 15-2 UFC) said he likes the idea of facing Chimaev next, and would potentially move up a weight class to make it happen.

With Chimaev (12-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) angling for a middleweight return in his next fight, that’s the division the UFC president would like to see it at in order to make it happen.

“What I hate about that fight and calling him out, Usman’s calling him out, but at a catchweight,” White said on The Jim Rome Show. “I don’t do catchweights. I don’t like catchweights. Catchweights mean nothing. They mean absolutely nothing. If he wants to move up to 185 and fight him, we can talk about it, but trying to fight him at a catchweight, I’m not interested in.”

Usman is coming off back-to-back losses for the first time in his career – both title fight setbacks to welterweight champion Leon Edwards. In their rematch at UFC 278, Edwards rallied to dethrone Usman with a Round 5 head kick knockout. The pair fought a third time at UFC 286 in March, when Edwards edged Usman out by majority decision in London.

Chimaev hasn’t competed since he submitted Kevin Holland this past September at UFC 279. The unbeaten star struggled to make the welterweight limit in his originally scheduled bout against Nate Diaz and missed the mark by 7.5 pounds. “Borz” has two UFC wins at middleweight – a second-round submission of John Phillips in his promotional debut, and a 17-second knockout of Gerald Meerschaert in September 2020.