Last summer few fighters seized their opportunities like Khamzat Chimaev. The Sweden-based Chechen debuted and won his first three bouts with the UFC on Fight Island, ending each contest by stoppage.
His third win was a sub-20 second KO of Gerald Meerschaert. After that happened Chimaev started being talked up as a future champion. Among his supporters was UFC President Dana White and Octagon luminaries Daniel Cormier and Khabib Nurmagomedov.
After beating Meerschaert in September the unranked Chimaev began sharing the notion that nobody wanted to fight him. However, this idea that Chimaev was the most feared man in the sport falls apart when considering the list of fighters who spoke out about their desires to test the new guy.