We may get that fight between Chris Weidman and Khamzat Chimaev afterall.
Shortly after claiming that both the former UFC Middleweight Champion and Stephen Thompson had turned down fights against him, Weidman seemingly had a change of heart and called out Chimaev for a bout in January:
Chimaev accepted the challenge, though he questioned why Weidman needed so much time to prepare:
It appears that White is considering a fight between the two men as the UFC President stated during a press conference that officials are considering a bout between Weidman and Chimaev for January (Transcript courtesy of Essentially Sports):
“He’s doesn’t give a sh*t. First guy who raises his hands and agrees to fight, he is in any way. Chris Weidman is one of the guys we are talking to. You know him (Chimaev), if we can get him a fight in December, he’ll probably fight that and then fight again in January.”
There’s no word on how far the talks regarding the potential bout have gotten. Chimaev has been challenged by several different fighters lately, most notably Darren Till and Neil Magny. We should see in the coming weeks which fight that the UFC newcomer will have next.