“Only if this fight gives me a title shot,” the American told a press conference after UFC on ESPN 47. “I’m not sure about that because he’s not even ranked in the middle division. I know he’s very popular, everyone wants to see him fight, so if they call me and say, ‘Hey, you’re against Khamzat, a challenger’, my answer is ‘Yes’.”
“I’m trying to get to the title. I don’t want to fight just to entertain people. I know you guys would love to see this and it’s a really good fight – if winning it guarantees me a title shot, I’m all for it. I just beat number three in the division, I’m not looking back, I’m looking forward, I want to be a champion. If Dana and Hunter say that the winner of our fight will face the champion, we can discuss it, but I’m not going to just welcome him to the division. Give me a title shot!”
The top middleweight fight that headlined the Las Vegas event went all five rounds to a unanimous decision victory for Jared Cannonier, with Khamzat Chimaev set to return to the octagon on October 21 at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi.