Gilbert Burns says he was told Khamzat Chimaev plans on fighting at middleweight going forward

UFC welterweight Gilbert Burns has claimed that he was told Khamzat Chimaev plans on moving up to middleweight.

Last April, Gilbert Burns and Khamzat Chimaev went to war. The two men battled it out in a welterweight clash for the ages, with Chimaev being pushed to the limit more so than he ever has been before.

In the end, Khamzat had his hand raised, but Gilbert put up a great account of himself. This weekend, the Brazilian will return to action against Neil Magny at UFC 283 in Brazil.

Some have wondered whether or not we’ll ever see a rematch between these two. As it turns out, though, Chimaev may well plan on moving away from 170 and up to 185 pounds.

I spoke with Gilbert Burns today and when I asked him about a potential rematch with Khamzat Chimaev, he said that he had heard that Chimaev planned to move up to middleweight going forward.

— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) January 18, 2023

“I spoke with Gilbert Burns today and when I asked him about a potential rematch with Khamzat Chimaev, he said that he had heard that Chimaev planned to move up to middleweight going forward.”

Chimaev moves away from 170?

The rise of Khamzat Chimaev cannot be overstated. In the space of just a few years, he’s become one of the most intriguing stars in all of mixed martial arts. The expectation for many was that he’d pursue welterweight gold, likely going after Colby Covington next.

Instead, middleweight may be on his mind. He’s made it known in the past that he’d be interested in throwing down with current UFC champion Alex Pereira. The man himself also seemed pretty intrigued the idea when it was brought to his attention.

While ‘Poatan’ has his hands full with a likely rematch against Israel Adesanya coming up, there are plenty of contenders out there for ‘Borz’ to test himself against.

Do you think Khamzat Chimaev’s next fight will take place at middleweight? Will we ever see him take on Gilbert Burns again? Let us know in the comments, BJPENN Nation!