The UFC has yet to announce the first man to challenge Khamzat Chimaev for the middleweight championship, and his grappling coach Alan “Finfou” do Nascimento sees it as a three-man race between Nassourdine Imavov, Anthony Hernandez, and Sean Strickland.
With Ramadan starting on Feb. 18 and ending at around March 20, Chimaev’s team is planning and projecting a return before the promotion actually makes an official offer. Looking at the current UFC plan for a historic card at the White House on June 14, the team sees it as ideal for the 185-pound champion.
“Chimaev said he doesn’t want to fight before or during Ramadan — he’s been saying that since the end of last year,” Nascimento told MMA Fighting. “Ramadan starts next 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.”
“That’s obviously something unique,” he continued. “Even the great legends of the sport from past generations didn’t have the opportunity to fight at the White House, so we tried to speculate about that. For now, it’s all just rumor. Nothing is set. I think the UFC is waiting for the fight between ‘Fluffy’ [Hernandez] and Strickland to see what would sell more, the winner of that fight or Imavov, who is the current contender.”
“Finfou” said that Chimaev is aiming at two fights in 2026, first in June or July, and the second one being a title defense on UFC’s annual trip to Abu Dhabi or a card around the same time in the United States.
It’s still unclear what type of fights the UFC will hold on the White House. Former bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili said in January that he was informed by the UFC that no Russians would compete on such card, meaning he would not get his trilogy with Petr Yan on that date. That could also mean that stars like Dagestan’s Islam Makhachev and Chechnya’s Chimaev could be left out.
“I think all athletes will be willing to fight at the White House,” Nascimento said. “And obviously Chimaev also has to deal with this type of situation, regardless of not taking sides. He’s an athlete, like in any other sport. I also heard that thing about there being no Russians [on the card], but Chimaev never fought for Russia, never represented Russia [in the UFC]. He represented Sweden when he lived there, and now he has a United Arab Emirates passport, so he fights for the UAE. In the same way that Ilia Topuria represents Spain, you know? But that decision will be in the hands of the people who have the power to make it. Our role is simply to keep training and be ready to fight from that date onward. If the opportunity comes, the team is focused on being prepared.”
Chimaev was unable to enter the United States for many years, but that changed once he received the U.A.E. passport, opening the door for his title win over Dricus Du Plessis in Chicago in August 2025. “Borz” is currently doing a “pre-season training” in California, Nascimento said, and the entire team will move there once the fight is officially confirmed.
As for the opponent, Imavov is currently leading the “race” with five straight victories, topping Caio Borralho, Israel Adesanya, Brendan Allen, Jared Cannonier and Roman Dolidze since 2024. This weekend’s UFC Houston will be headlined by Strickland and Hernandez, with Strickland taking on Hernandez in his first fight back since losing the belt to Du Plessis. “Fluffy” looks to earn his shot if he manages to extend his winning streak to nine by beating Strickland after defeating Allen and Dolidze in 2055.
“All the athletes there have already proven their value, we respect and recognize that, obviously, but we have to be ready to defend the belt,” Nascimento said. “We have to do the job the same way it’s been done so far, with excellence and discipline. All the things everyone knows are the minimum required to be competing at this level, in this organization, because today’s MMA is not the same as it was 10 years ago. I believe one of the biggest mistakes an athlete can make in this situation is underestimating any opponent who comes, especially in a title defense. Whoever it is among those three, we’ll have to face them with maturity, seriousness, humility, and the will to win.”
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