Khamzat Chimaev is now a title contender after beating Gilbert Burns at UFC 273. The Swedish fighter has been talking about facing Kamaru Usman and he's very serious about it.

Kamaru Usman recently spoke to TMZ and gave his thoughts on the proposed matchup. It's difficult for the UFC welterweight champion to deny him like he used to before the fight.

“It’s very difficult for me to say ‘no, he doesn’t deserve anything’…If that’s the fight, that’s the fight,” Usman said. “If that’s not the fight, that’s not the fight. Right now, we’ve kind of got Leon Edwards sitting there you got the other loudmouth little kid, the Irish guy on the side running his mouth. That guy [McGregor].”

“You forget [McGregor],” he added. “This is why you forget because this guy is not relevant. He hasn’t done anything in the sport as of late so in order for him to be relevant, he has to try to attach his name to someone who is relevant. But this kid [Chimaev] has done a good job going out there and defeating the #2 guy in the division. So, yeah, if that’s the next fight after Edwards, then that’s the next fight. But, Edwards is our focus right now.”

The UFC welterweight champion was always big on Khamzat Chimaev not being ready for a title shot and he would have to earn his place at the top. It's difficult for Kamaru Usman to deny him if the promotion opts for him to fight the Swedish fighter next.