Chael Sonnen includes Bo Nickal in his list of desired opponents for new UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev.

Chimaev’s strategy against Du Plessis has been criticized by some, but not many have gone as far the champ’s longtime enemy, Paulo Costa, with their reactions. During an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, the Brazilian boldly claimed that Chimaev could “kill” MMA if he repeats the manner in which he won on August 16.

Khamzat Chimaev continued his dominance in the UFC, capturing the middleweight belt by defeating Dricus Du Plessis by unanimous decision at UFC 319.

On the latest episode of "Spinning Back Clique" our expert panelists review Khamzat Chimaev's big title win, PFL results and more.

Dana White announced that Reinier de Ridder will face Anthony Hernandez on October 18, with the result of this matchup and the main event of UFC Paris next month being used to decide the next challenger. One of the four fighters in the running to challenge Chimaev has already started to have some thoughts about how he would prepare for such a task.

Magomed Ankalaev’s coach, Sukhrab Magomedov, told Telecomasia.net in an exclusive interview that Khamzat Chimaev, the UFC middleweight titleholder, could likely compete in the light heavyweight division and that he would match up well against Alex Pereira.

Chimaev thrashed Dricus Du Plessis in the main event of UFC 319 in Chicago, seizing the middleweight championship. As a result, Chimaev is making his debut in the ESPN pound-for-pound rankings. He was so impressive over the weekend that he surges right into the top five. For the ESPN divisional MMA rankings, click here.

Following his championship win, Khamzat improved his professional MMA record to 15-0 and has rarely been troubled during his nine-fight UFC run. Since joining the world's leading MMA organisation in 2020, Chimaev has shown himself to be one of the most skilled grapplers on the planet.