Khamzat Chimaev debuts in the UFC middleweight rankings following majority decision win over Kamaru Usman

Khamzat Chimaev has officially made his way into the UFC’s middleweight rankings following his win over Kamaru Usman.

Last weekend at UFC 294, Khamzat Chimaev went head to head with Kamaru Usman. The two had an incredibly competitive encounter and in the end, it was Chimaev who wound up scoring the majority decision victory. Now, the expectation is that he’ll take on Sean Strickland for the UFC middleweight championship, with Dana White saying beforehand that it was a title eliminator fight.

RELATED: KHAMZAT CHIMAEV CASTS DOUBT ON HIS FIGHT WITH KAMARU USMAN ACTUALLY BEING A TITLE ELIMINATOR BOUT

Before we get to that point, though, it’s worth talking about the updated UFC rankings, which have only put ‘Borz’ in the #9 spot after his triumph over Usman.

Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) debuts in the official #UFC middleweight rankings at No. 9 following his #UFC294 victory over Kamaru Usman.

Andre Muniz slides off the list with Chimaev's addition to the middleweight division. pic.twitter.com/5rzU7dDOGX

— John Morgan (@JohnMorgan_MMA) October 24, 2023

UFC Middleweight Rankings

C – Sean Strickland
1 – Israel Adesanya
2 – Dricus du Plessis
3 – Robert Whittaker
4 – Jared Cannonier
5 – Marvin Vettori
6 – Paulo Costa
7 – Roman Dolidze
8 – Jack Hermansson
9 – Khamzat Chimaev (NR)
10 – Brendan Allen
11 – Kelvin Gastelum
12 – Nassourdine Imavov
13 – Paul Craig
14 – Chris Curtis
15 – Anthony Hernandez

Chimaev makes it into UFC middleweight top 10

Kamaru Usman, meanwhile, is not in the top 15, and will instead continue to try and make his way back into contention. In terms of Khamzat’s next move, it’ll be really interesting to see if he scores an immediate shot at the belt, given that he is only at #9. A lot of fans and media members have already argued the case for Dricus du Plessis, largely because of his win over Robert Whittaker earlier this year.

The Chechen sensation is easily one of the most popular fighters in the promotion today and that alone could get him the shot. For now, however, he’ll have to wait and see what the matchmakers say.

Do you believe Khamzat Chimaev should’ve been placed higher in the rankings? Should he fight for the title next? Let us know, BJPENN Nation!