Rising UFC star Khamzat Chimaev verbally agrees to fight Gilbert Burns in April

Chimaev shared Instagram messages exchanged with his fellow welterweight

Khamzat Chimaev is one of the UFC’s hottest prospects

(Zuffa/LLC via Getty Images)

Khamzat Chimaev and Gilbert Burns have verbally agreed to fight one another in April, with each man pursuing a shot at the UFC welterweight title.

Chimaev is one of the fastest rising stars in the mixed martial arts promotion. The Russian-born Swede has secured all 10 of his professional wins via stoppage and is 4-0 in the UFC.

Since debuting in the UFC in July 2020, Chimaev has remarkably absorbed just one significant strike across his four bouts.

Burns, meanwhile, challenged friend and former teammate Kamaru Usman for the welterweight title last March, losing via third-round stoppage.

The Brazilian bounced back in July in his most recent bout, however, with a dominant decision win against former title challenger Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson.

On Friday, Chimaev shared an Instagram story of a screenshot of a conversation between himself and Burns.

While the beginning of the conversation is not visible, a message from Burns reads: “Done, let’s do this in May.”

“Let’s go, champ,” Chimaev replied, before Burns proposed an earlier date: “April 9.”

“Yes, brother, let’s go,” Chimaev responded.

No2-ranked Burns, who knocked down Usman early in their fight last year before going on to lose, is seeking another shot at the title, while Chimaev is ranked 11th.