Khamzat Chimaev sizes up Darren Till as a potential opponent

Khamzat Chimaev has shared his thoughts on a potential showdown with ranked middleweight contender Darren Till.

Till is currently ranked far above Chimaev. The British striking specialist has a spot in the middleweight division’s top-5, while the Chechen prospect is not yet ranked at middleweight or welterweight—the two divisions he competes in.

Nonetheless, Chimaev is arguably the hottest prospect in MMA at present, and seems to be having a very tough time finding a willing dance partner after recent Octagon wins over John Phillips, Rhys McKee and Gerald Meerschaert—all in the first round.

Till is currently scheduled to fight Jack Hermansson in early December, but being type of fighter who never backs down from a challenge, recently offered to fight Chimaev after that.

“Rankings have never mattered in the UFC,” Till wrote to Chimaev on Twitter. “After I destroy Jack in December, if you are still struggling to get a match. I’ll give you a go at the big boys son!”

Speaking at a scrum on Fight Island this week, Chimaev addressed a potential fight with Till, sizing the talented middleweight up as a potential opponent.

He conceded that the Brit is “nice”—though it’s not clear if he was speaking about his personality or his skills—but claimed he would not be much of a challenge.

“This guy is nice guy but he’s not on my level,” Chimaev said (via MMA Mania). “I’m gonna take him down and smash him. I talked to him on Instagram. I said ‘Come to Abu Dhabi, I am waiting for you.’ He said, ‘I will fight in December.’'”

While Till is down to fight Chimaev in the future, the prospect is more likely to fight somebody else in the meantime—potentially Neil Magny in the welterweight division.

Whoever he ends up fighting, he’s confident he’ll soon be challenging UFC champs.

“I want to fight, I love to fight, the belt is coming. What are they gonna do? I finish all my opponents, they have to give me this belt.”

How do you think Khamzat Chimaev matches up with Darren Till?