UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev intends to defend his title one time, before moving up to chase a second belt in the light heavyweight division.

Chimaev (15-0) shared his plan with ESPN in an exclusive interview on Monday. The Chechen champion won the belt in dominant fashion against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 319 in August. He is currently targeting a title defense following the Ramadan holiday in March, after which he will set his sights on the 205-pound division.

"These [middleweight] fights don't make me excited, but I need to do my job," Chimaev told ESPN. "I need to make money. If there is a big name to make more money, then I will be excited. If you get $3 million for a fight, but then you have a good [opponent] and you make $6 million, of course you'll be excited."

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