Khamzat Chimaev vs. Jared Cannonier? UFC middleweight Brendan Allen pleads the fifth

By Harry Kettle - June 26, 2023

UFC middleweight Brendan Allen has hinted at Khamzat Chimaev vs Jared Cannonier being booked in the near future.

Jared Cannonier, Khamzat Chimaev

Following his win over Marvin Vettori earlier this month, Jared Cannonier made it clear that he still wants to pursue the UFC middleweight championship. However, there wasn’t a clear route back to the top for him, even with the Vettori win.

Some suggested that he could lock horns with Khamzat Chimaev. ‘Borz’ has hinted at the idea of making a run at 185 pounds, and he doesn’t currently have an opponent booked.

RELATED: JARED CANNONIER INTERESTED IN “FUN FIGHT” WITH KHAMZAT CHIMAEV IF HE BEATS MARVIN VETTORI

This is where Brendan Allen comes in. Over the weekend, he was able to submit Bruno Silva in impressive fashion before making it known that he’d be interested in taking on Jared Cannonier.

However, his post-fight interview may have revealed something pretty intriguing.

“Cannonier, he’s looking for a title eliminator,” Allen said during a post-fight interview with Megan Olivi. “Ali told me not to call him [out] because he probably has a fight, but I already had this memorized so I was like whatever, I just gotta go with it. I did the two things Ali said [not to do] so I’m sorry, Ali, but it was already memorized, so I’m sorry.”

Allen hints at Cannonier vs Chimaev

Allen was then asked directly whether or not Khamzat Chimaev was the next man in line to take on Jared Cannonier.

“I plead the fifth,” he said with a smile.

Quotes via MMA Mania

It’s hard to know whether or not Allen is telling the truth or just winding up the media. Either way, this is an incredibly fun match-up to think about given the current state of the division.

Are you interested in Cannonier vs Chimaev? Let us know, BJPENN Nation!


Topics:

Brendan Allen Jared Cannonier Khamzat Chimaev UFC