UFC champion Israel Adesanya has tasked Khamzat Chimaev with beating the "top guys" at 185lb before challenging him.
Middleweight king Adesanya was called out by rising star Chimaev after he defended his title against Robert Whittaker at UFC 271 last month.
Chimaev vowed to finish Adesanya in one round if they fought, something 'The Last Stylebender' nonchalantly shrugged off.
'Borz' has switched between welterweight and middleweight for his four UFC wins and wants to become the champion of both weight classes.
Adesanya admits he was impressed by Chimaev's last win against Li Jingliang at UFC 267 but won't take him seriously until he needs to.
“I don’t have to take him seriously till I have to take him seriously and that’s a guy that definitely I'd like to fight if he does what he says he wants to do," he told ' True Geordie '.
"Because guess what? He’ll bring in a lot of eyes. That's how it all starts, those are the ones who are crazy enough to make it happen. He's on his way, but show me something first.”
“There was something he did in that fight, I won’t give it away, but I was like, ‘Hmm. I like that.’ I was really impressed with. So, that’s what made me take notice of him properly.
"At the moment, still, it’s just barking in the wind ‘cause who’s he fought at 185? He can beat a lot of these top guys at 185, but let me see it first."
Chimaev will fight former welterweight title challenger Gilbert Burns at UFC 273 on April 9 in his toughest test so far.
A win against Burns could put Chimaev next in line for a welterweight title shot, after current champion Kamaru Usman's likely defence against Leon Edwards this summer.
Will Khamzat Chimaev be a UFC champion in 2022? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below
Chimaev turned professional in 2018 and has won just ten fights, but the one-sided manner of his victories has led to fans backing him to become a future two-weight champion.
And UFC veteran Kenny Florian said Chimaev will be the toughest challenger for Adesanya's belt.
"Dude, [Khamzat] is the guy with skills. He's the guy with the skills based on what we have seen so far," Florian said on ' The Anik & Florian Podcast '.
"Not only does it seem like he has some good power on the feet but of course, what stands out most is that dominant wrestling style.
"That is absolutely a fight that will be interesting in the future. [Khamzat] still needs more experience to make sure that's the case but yeah, based on what I've seen he just might be the worst matchup for Adesanya."
