Chimaev aims for the Topuria throne.

Khamzat Chimaev caused a major upset at UFC 319 by defeating Dricus Du Plessis to become the new middleweight champion.

Khamzat Chimaev caused a major upset at UFC 319 by defeating Dricus Du Plessis to become the new middleweight champion.

With his dominant performance, "The Gray Wolf" (nicknamed Khamzat Chimaev) confidently declared that he deserved to hold the number one spot on the pound-for-pound rankings, currently held by Ilia Topuria.

In an interview with ESPN , Chimaev confidently stated: "I don't care who makes the rankings. I have to be number one."

However, experts believe that Chimaev's chances of surpassing established names like Merab Dvalishvili, Islam Makhachev, or even Topuria himself are not high. For now, he is likely to only break into the top 4, level with or above Alexandre Pantoja.

Outside the ring, Chimaev's popularity is growing rapidly. Before his title fight, he had already reached 10 million Instagram followers, and is now nearing 11 million – matching Makhachev (10.7 million) and Topuria (11.5 million). This number demonstrates the enormous influence of the new UFC champion.

The prospect of Chimaev dominating the middleweight division is almost certain.

However, contrary to Chimaev's confidence, the pound-for-pound rankings are compiled by international sports journalists, not the UFC. This makes his chances of immediately reaching the top very low, and he may not even surpass Pantoja – the flyweight fighter who has successfully defended his title four times.

Nevertheless, the prospect of Chimaev dominating the middleweight division is almost certain. With his renowned grappling skills, he renders a powerful and experienced champion like Du Plessis helpless. Many experts believe that there are virtually no opponents who can defeat Chimaev.

The most logical scenario is for Chimaev to defend his title a few more times, then move up to the light heavyweight division to dream of a "double," or even return to the welterweight division – where he was once in the top 5. Whichever path he chooses, if he continues to make strong progress both in the octagon and in the media, the day Chimaev reaches the absolute pinnacle of UFC is only a matter of time.

Currently, he has made a giant leap, progressing steadily on his journey to becoming a new icon in the world of MMA.

Source: https://znews.vn/chimaev-nham-ngoi-vuong-cua-topuria-post1578109.html