Khamzat Chimaev has never been shy about his ambitions, but UFC President Dana White is making it clear that the middleweight champion might want to earn any conversation a couple of division jump, and earn it the hard way.
Reports surfaced this week suggesting “Borz” had expressed interest in moving as much as 205 kilos to chase light heavyweight gold, a move that will make him one of the vital dangerous two-division threats in UFC history.
205
— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) February 21, 2026
But White quickly threw cold water on those aspirations, and his message couldn’t have been more direct.
🚨 Dana White says he’d reasonably see Khamzat Chimaev stay at middleweight and defend his title:
“I’d prefer to see him defend his title before he talks about jumping around. You are gonna keep going up in weight divisions without defending?” pic.twitter.com/SKQd9JV7IO
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) February 22, 2026
“I’d prefer to see him defend his title before he talks about jumping around,” White said. “You are gonna keep going up in weight divisions without defending?”
It is a fair point and a pointy one. Chimaev’s meteoric rise through the UFC ranks has been nothing in need of extraordinary, but with a middleweight championship belt now around his waist, White clearly believes the 185-pound division deserves his full and undivided attention before any superstar matchups at light heavyweight enter the conversation.
The sunshine heavyweight division isn’t any place for an off-the-cuff visit, either. With top contenders clawing for position and a title picture that is still fiercely competitive, Chimaev can be walking into one in every of the deepest talent pools in the game. That form of move demands preparation, commitment, and, in White’s eyes, a proven track record as a defending champion.
Chimaev’s case for himself is comprehensible. The Chechen-born Swede has looked dominant at every weight class he’s competed in, and his physical frame has long fueled speculation that he could thrive at 205 kilos. Once you’ve steamrolled everyone put in front of you, why would not you set your sights higher?
However the business of combat sports doesn’t all the time bend to fighter ambition, and White has never been one to let hype outpace reality. The UFC’s middleweight division is hungry for a dominant champion who sticks around, and immediately, Chimaev is anticipated to be exactly that.
Whether “Borz” accepts that mandate or continues pushing for greater stages, one thing is for certain, Dana White is asking the shots, and immediately, those shots are being fired squarely at keeping Khamzat Chimaev exactly where he’s.