UFC: UFC News: Dana White is hesitant to book Kamaru Usman vs Khamzat Chimaev at a catchweight amid the expressed interest from both fighters. Usman, the reigning UFC welterweight champion, recently called out Chimaev, an undefeated rising star at 170 lbs, for a proposed fight at 185 lbs. While such a matchup would be a major draw and highlight two of the UFC’s top talents, White has no interest in setting up catchweight or non-title fights. Follow UFC News Updates with Insidesport.IN
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In an interview with MMA Fighting, White said “Usman is calling [Chimaev] out at a catchweight – I don’t do catch weights, I don’t like catch weights. … If [Usman] wants to move up to 185 and fight him, we could talk about it. But trying to fight him at a catchweight, I’m not interested in.” White wants championship fights or fights that move divisions, not made-up interim titles or catchweight that blur the lines between weight classes.
White prefers to keep weight classes distinct and sees catchweight as a “slippery slope”. If they set up one catchweight fight, then more fighters will start demanding catchweight bouts and it will become difficult to determine proper divisions and rankings. The integrity of the weight classes is important for White and the overall structure of the UFC.
While Usman vs Chimaev is an intriguing matchup, White is only open to booking the fight if Usman is willing to move up to middleweight, where Chimaev currently competes. “If [Usman] wants to move up to 185 and fight him, we could talk about it. But trying to fight him at a catchweight, I’m not interested in.” White believes a middleweight bout would also be more meaningful, with the championships and records at stake. A catchweight would just be another non-title fight in White’s view.
In summary, despite the appeal of the matchup, White has valid concerns about catchweight that are leading him to hesitate in setting up Usman vs Chimaev. The integrity of the divisions and championship fights are most important to him over any single fight. Only a move up to middleweight will satisfy White in making this fight a reality. Follow InsideSport on GOOGLE NEWS / For UFC News updates with InsideSport.IN
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