Dana White is open to a fight between Kamaru Usman and Khamzat Chimaev as long as it takes place at middleweight, not at a catchweight.
Dana White is open to discussing a potential fight between former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and rising star Khamzat Chimaev, but he has one condition. Earlier this week, Usman suggested a fight with Chimaev and mentioned that he would “potentially” move up to middleweight to make it happen. In an appearance on The Jim Rowe Show, White commented on the potential matchup, stating that for the fight to happen, Usman’s “potentially” would need to change to “definitely.”
White expressed his dislike for catchweight fights, saying, “What I hate about that fight and [Usman] calling him out, Usman is calling him out at a catchweight — I don’t do catchweights, I don’t like catchweights. Catchweights mean nothing. They mean absolutely nothing.” He added, “If [Usman] wants to move up to 185 and fight [Chimaev], we could talk about it. But trying to fight him at a catchweight, I’m not interested in.”
Usman’s recent record includes losses in his last two fights against current 170-pound champion Leon Edwards, a fifth-round knockout loss resulting in the loss of the welterweight title at UFC 278, and a subsequent decision loss in their rematch at UFC 286 in March. As for Chimaev, he hasn’t competed since his first-round submission win over Kevin Holland at UFC 279 in September. The 29-year-old missed weight by 7.5 pounds for his scheduled main event bout with Nate Diaz, leading to a reshuffling of multiple fights. Chimaev is expected to move up to middleweight for the foreseeable future and hopes to compete at the UFC’s return to Abu Dhabi in October.