Khamzat Chimaev’s big test will arrive in the form of a matchup with former title challenger Gilbert Burns, according to UFC president Dana White.
White first told TSN on Monday the welterweight bout was in the works for UFC 273 then later told The Underground that “it’s happening” at the April 9 pay-per-view event in Jacksonville, Fla.
The fight initially had been reported by Brazilian news outlet Combate earlier this month, but MMA Junkie learned at the time that a potential hangup would be visa approval for Chimaev to travel to and compete in the U.S. Given White’s words Monday, it appears that hurdle has been cleared.
Burns (20-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC), No. 3 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie welterweight rankings, will attempt to shut down the hype around Chimaev and insert himself back into the championship picture. He unsuccessfully challenged Kamaru Usman for the title in February 2020 but bounced back last July with a unanimous decision win over Stephen Thompson. The 35-year-old will try to make it two consecutive wins as he pursues a rematch with the champ.
Chimaev (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC), an honorable mention in the latest rankings, will fight to prove he’s truly the next big thing. Chimaev has burst onto the scene in the UFC, destroying all his opponents by stoppage in lopsided fashion and absorbing just one significant strike in four total octagon appearances.
The 27-year-old has been clamoring for a top name at 170 pounds, and now he’ll get the sternest of tests in Burns.
The latest UFC 273 lineup now includes:
- Champ Alexander Volkanovski vs. Chan Sung Jung – featherweight
- Champ Aljamain Sterling vs. Petr Yan – bantamweigh
- Gilbert Burns vs. Khamzat Chimaev
- Mackenzie Dern vs. Tecia Torres
- Kelvin Gastelum vs. Nassourdine Imavov
- Irene Aldana vs. Aspen Ladd
- Ian Garry vs. Darian Weeks
- Chris Curtis vs. Dricus Du Plessis
- Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Marcin Tybura
- Albert Duraev vs. Anthony Hernandez
- Mickey Gall vs. Mike Malott
- Pat Sabatini vs. Gavin Tucker
- Julio Arce vs. Daniel Santos
- Mark Madsen vs. Vinc Pichel
- Kay Hansen vs. Piera Rodriguez