Khamzat Chimaev’s coach, Nascimento, believes the UFC is playing the long game with Khamzat Chimaev’s first middleweight title defense.
As UFC Houston approaches, two top middleweights headline the card at the Toyota Center, and the outcome could directly shape the champion’s next move. According to Alan Nascimento, nothing has been finalized and that’s intentional.
“Nothing is set,” Alan Nascimento told MMA Fighting. “I think the UFC waiting for the fight between ‘Fluffy’ and Strickland to see what would sell more, the winner of that fight or Imavov, who is the current contender.”
Nascimento, a key voice in Chimaev’s camp, made it clear that the UFC wants options before committing to the next challenger.
UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev remains undefeated and fresh off a dominant performance over Dricus du Plessis, where he racked up nearly 22 minutes of control time. Despite the grappling clinic, critics labeled the fight “boring.”
“If Khamzat asked, ‘Can I strike?’ and then we say ‘Yes, go,’ we’d just become sloppy, unprofessional and cocky at the wrong moment because the fight wasn’t finished,” Alan Nascimento explained. “If he got knocked out, you know what everybody would say? ‘What an idiot! Why did he change? He was dominating the guy! The coaches let him do this.’”
Nascimento also addressed earlier criticism surrounding Chimaev’s win over Kamaru Usman, when the opponent changed late in camp.
“With the fight with Kamaru Usman, we were preparing for one kind of fighter – it was Paulo Costa,” Nascimento said. “We were doing an entire camp for one type of fighter. A couple of days before the fight, they switch the opposite. We didn’t prepare for this, the same way Kamaru wasn’t training for (Chimaev). And then people start to say, ‘If it would be five rounds.’ Bro, this is delusional. We all know this is three rounds – preparation for three rounds.”
Heading into UFC Houston, Sean Strickland returns after more than a year away. He has publicly stated that he believes he’s the man to end Chimaev’s undefeated run. Across from him stands Anthony Hernandez, whose relentless grappling style could present intriguing problems for the champion.
Meanwhile, Nassourdine Imavov remains in the mix after a strong run, though some believe his recent win wasn’t emphatic enough to force the UFC’s hand.
Alan Nascimento suggested the promotion is waiting to see what sells best, a red-hot contender or a bigger-name showdown.
Timing could also play a major role. With Ramadan beginning this week and ending in mid-March, Nascimento sees a clear window for a June return, potentially at the UFC’s planned White House event.
“Ramadan starts [this] week and ends in mid-March, so we roughly calculated about 10 weeks until June, which is when the White House event would take place,” Alan Nascimento said.
Speculation has also surfaced about whether geopolitical concerns could complicate matters for Russian fighters competing at the White House. Nascimento dismissed that idea, noting that Chimaev has represented multiple regions during his UFC tenure.
The Houston main event could determine whether the promotion books a surging contender, a former champion, or a stylistic threat next. Until then, the middleweight division waits.
