Khamzat Chimaev says Jon Jones is a dream matchup for any fighter, regardless of weight class

 Khamzat Chimaev has a lot of respect for Jon Jones and would be thrilled at the chance to face him in the octagon.

Even though there's quite a difference in weight classes between Chimaev, who currently competes in the middleweight division with a record of 13 wins and 0 losses in MMA (7-0 in the UFC), and the UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones, who boasts a record of 27 wins and 1 loss in MMA (21-1 in the UFC), Chimaev believes that Jones' impressive achievements make him a dream opponent for anyone aiming for greatness.

Speaking on the "Smile 2 Jannah" podcast, Chimaev expressed his admiration for Jones, stating, “Jon Jones still is the best fighter in the world right now. He has the most title defenses, he’s a two-weight class champion, he never lost still. He’s the youngest champion in UFC (history). If you speak about MMA, everyone knows Jon Jones. In history, (there is) nobody like him."

Chimaev sees Jones as a dream match, saying, "So for sure he’s a dream match for everyone who wants to be in the history (books). I’m younger than him. I hope he’s not going to go soon from this job, get this fight as well. When I (grew) up – I like him, I like his training. I watched his training, I learned a lot of stuff from him. We spoke about training so we can maybe train together. He’s a nice guy. We were speaking and joking around.”

Chimaev, who is currently undefeated and on the verge of title contention, was asked about a hypothetical matchup in their prime. He responded with a laugh, “Depends on which weight class. He’s now a heavyweight. You’re asking me? For sure I think I will win. That’s a hard fight for everyone. He fought two times with my training partner Alexander Gustafsson – they had a good fight."

Chimaev, having trained with Gustafsson, expressed his desire for a historic bout with Jones, stating, “So I became a fighter with Alex, been training with him. For sure I want to fight with (Jones) so it will be a big history if we fight. Since Alex gave him the best fight in history, now maybe it’s my time to fight him, as well.”