KHAMZAT CHIMAEV is just days away from competing in his first UFC title fight.

The undefeated phenom will challenge for middleweight gold in the main event of UFC 319 in Chicago early on Sunday morning.

Standing between the 31-year-old wrecking machine and his dream of winning UFC gold is dominant champion Dricus Du Plessis .

Chimaev's Chicago clash with DDP will be his first outing on American soil since his first-round submission of Kevin Holland in September 2022.

His last two fights against Kamaru Usman and Robert Whittaker have both taken place in Abu Dhabi.

His absence from the States raised eyebrows and led many to wonder if he'd been banned from entering the country.

And according to veteran and internationally respected reporter Karim Zidan , Chimaev "partially" had

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