Chimaev wanted a quick return, but two opponents are out of the picture: We’ll see what happens

Khamzat Chimaev doesn’t plan to wait long for his next Octagon bout. The former middleweight champion wanted to return as early as October and named a few potential opponents. As it turns out, however, two of them are dealing with injuries.

It seems that Chimaev has already come to terms with the fact that he may not get an immediate rematch with Sean Strickland. Recently, there have been reports that the current middleweight champion is set to face Nassourdine Imavov again.

In this situation, “Borz” turned his attention to other top fighters in the division. Among the names he mentioned were Caio Borralho and Dricus du Plessis. Chimaev already has a history with the latter—he previously defeated him decisively on the scorecards and claimed his first UFC championship.

Chimaev: Borralho and du Plessis are injured

In an interview with Red Corner MMA, Chimaev revealed that he has already been in contact with UFC Business Director Hunter Campbell. However, according to the information he has received, neither Borralho nor du Plessis will be available in the near future.

– It doesn’t matter to me. I’ll take on anyone. I want to come back as soon as possible. I said earlier that I’d like to return in October, and I called Hunter [Campbell]. They told me that Caio and [Dricus] Du Plessis are injured. We’ll see what happens. I don’t know for sure. Maybe Imavov and Strickland won’t fight after all, and I’ll be ready,” said Chimaev.

One of the fighters who could potentially be on Chimaev’s radar is Joe Pyfer. The American is currently ranked fourth in the Meta middleweight rankings and recently stated that, in his opinion, “Borz” doesn’t perform well under pressure because he much prefers control over chaos in a fight.

For now, however, Pyfer has another commitment. On September 18, he will compete at the RAF event, where he will face former middleweight champion Luke Rockhold. Also on the same card is Chimaev, who is set to face his former UFC rival, Gilbert Burns, once again.

Pyfer currently has no UFC fight scheduled, so theoretically he could be available later. Another top contender is Brendan Allen, but he, in turn, is already scheduled to face Christian Leroy Duncan on October 10.

Everything seems to indicate, then, that Chimaev may be forced to look for an opponent with an available date. “Borz” makes no secret of the fact that he doesn’t want to wait long and is eager to return to the Octagon as soon as possible.