Khamzat Chimaev out of options as UFC tells him all four recent call-outs are not possible

Fans may not be seeing Khamzat Chimaev back inside the Octagon as soon as they had hoped.

The former UFC middleweight champion has been publicly pleading with the promotion to book his return ever since losing for the first time in MMA this past May.

Chimaev was beaten by Sean Strickland in the main event of UFC 328, marking a quick end to his maiden title reign. ‘Borz’ appears to have missed out on both an immediate rematch and a showdown with Nassourdine Imavov, with the the Frenchman expected to be announced as the next challenger.

And following his return on the Real American Freestyle mats, Chimaev also revealed that he won’t be able to share the Octagon with the other two names he recently called.

Despite concerns over his weight cuts to make 185 pounds, Chimaev committed his immediate future to the middleweight division and targeted revenge on Strickland.

‘Borz’ included the two-time champion on a list of potential opponents on social media, with Strickland appearing alongside Imavov, Caio Borralho, and Dricus du Plessis.

After Imavov claimed a date to fight Strickland has been agreed, which halved Chimaev’s list of call-outs, the Chechen’s latest remarks have eliminated the remaining contenders.

Following Chimaev’s RAF Moscow win over Tyron Woodley, he detailed a call regarding his UFC return with Hunter Campbell.

“It doesn’t matter to me (who I fight), I call out everyone,” Chimaev told Red Corner MMA.

“I want to come back as soon as possible. Earlier, I said that I wanted to return in October, and I called Hunter. They told me that Caio and Du Plessis are injured.

“We’ll see what happens. I don’t know exactly,” he continued. “Maybe Imavov and Strickland won’t fight, and I’ll be ready.”

In the meantime, Chimaev will be keeping busy away from the Octagon.

After wins over Dillon Danis and Woodley under the RAF banner, ‘Borz’ will return against a familiar face at the organization’s next event.

Just two weeks after his win on Saturday, Chimaev will wrestle Gilbert Burns on the undercard of Colby Covington vs Belal Muhammad at RAF 13 in Miami on September 18.