1. Khamzat Khizarovich Chimaev was born on 1 May 1994 and is a Russian and Emirati professional mixed martial artist and freestyle wrestler who currently competes in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
62 Facts About Khamzat Chimaev
1. 2.
In freestyle wrestling, Chimaev is a three-time Swedish national champion.
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Khamzat Chimaev was born on 1 May 1994 to a Chechen family.
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Khamzat Chimaev was born in the village of Gvardeyskoye, Chechnya, Russia.
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Khamzat Chimaev started wrestling at the age of five in the village of Gvardeyskoye.
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However, despite living in Sweden for years, Khamzat Chimaev never acquired a Swedish citizenship, keeping his Russian citizenship.
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Khamzat Chimaev has competed in a few judo tournaments and in four combat sambo fights.
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Khamzat Chimaev competed against fellow UFC contender Jack Hermansson in a freestyle wrestling match on 19 November 2021, at Sweden-based Bulldog Fight Night 9, winning on points.
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Khamzat Chimaev first started training in MMA when he was 23 years old.
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Khamzat Chimaev trained at Allstars Training Center in Stockholm, along with three-time UFC Light Heavyweight Championship challenger Alexander Gustafsson, Ilir Latifi and Reza Madadi among others.
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Gustafsson told a Swedish reporter that Khamzat Chimaev was one of the best fighters he had ever trained with, during a press conference in June 2019.
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Between September 2017 and April 2018, Khamzat Chimaev had three amateur MMA fights.
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Khamzat Chimaev turned professional on 26 May 2018, at International Ring Fight Arena 14, against Gard Olve Sagen.
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Khamzat Chimaev won the fight via technical knockout in the second round.
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Khamzat Chimaev's next fight took place on 18 August 2018, against Ole Magnor at Fight Club Rush 3.
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Khamzat Chimaev won via submission with a rear naked choke late in the first round.
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Khamzat Chimaev was scheduled to make his promotional debut against Benjamin Bennett on 16 November 2018, at Brave CF 18.
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Khamzat Chimaev won the fight via technical knockout in the first round after dropping his opponent with a left hand.
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Khamzat Chimaev had a quick turnaround for his next fight when he took on Sidney Wheeler on short notice on 22 December 2018, at Brave CF 20, replacing an injured Leon Aliu.
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Khamzat Chimaev won the fight via technical knockout in 35 seconds into the first round.
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Khamzat Chimaev then fought Ikram Aliskerov on 19 April 2019, at Brave CF 23.
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Khamzat Chimaev won the bout via knockout after landing an uppercut in the first round.
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Khamzat Chimaev won the fight via submission in the second round.
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Khamzat Chimaev was expected to challenge Jarrah Al-Selawe for the BCF Welterweight Championship on 18 April 2020, at Brave CF 37, which would be the promotions first event in Khamzat Chimaev's hometown of Stockholm, Sweden.
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However, the event would be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the matchup was cancelled altogether when Khamzat Chimaev signed with the UFC instead.
26.
Khamzat Chimaev made his promotional debut in a middleweight bout against John Phillips, replacing Dusko Todorovic, on 16 July 2020, at UFC on ESPN 13.
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Khamzat Chimaev won the fight via submission in the second round.
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Ten days after the fight against Phillips, Khamzat Chimaev faced promotional newcomer Rhys McKee at welterweight on 25 July 2020, at UFC on ESPN 14.
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Khamzat Chimaev won the fight via technical knockout in the first round.
30.
Khamzat Chimaev earned his second Performance of the Night bonus award.
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Khamzat Chimaev won the fight against Meerschaert via knockout just 17 seconds into round one.
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Khamzat Chimaev was scheduled to face Leon Edwards in the main event of UFC Fight Night 183 on 19 December 2020.
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Dana White later came out and said Khamzat Chimaev was not retired and was just emotional after experiencing effects of prednisone for his lungs during a training session.
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Khamzat Chimaev returned to face Li Jingliang on 30 October 2021, at UFC 267.
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Khamzat Chimaev won the bout via technical submission, choking Li unconscious with a rear-naked choke in round one.
36.
Khamzat Chimaev faced Gilbert Burns at UFC 273 on 9 April 2022.
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Khamzat Chimaev won the fight via unanimous decision, the first decision victory of his career.
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Khamzat Chimaev was scheduled to face Nate Diaz on 10 September 2022 in the main event of UFC 279.
39.
At the weigh-ins, Khamzat Chimaev weighed in at 178.5 pounds, seven and a half pounds over the welterweight non-title fight limit.
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Khamzat Chimaev won the bout via D'Arce Choke in the first round.
41.
Khamzat Chimaev was scheduled to fight former middleweight title challenger Paulo Costa.
42.
However, due to surgery forcing Costa to pull out of the fight, Khamzat Chimaev faced former UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman.
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Khamzat Chimaev was scheduled to face former UFC Middleweight Champion Robert Whittaker on 22 June 2024, at UFC on ABC 6.
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Khamzat Chimaev ended up facing Robert Whittaker on 26 October 2024 at UFC 308.
45.
Khamzat Chimaev won the fight via a face-crank submission in the first round resulting in a dislocated jaw.
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Khamzat Chimaev has trained at Allstar Training Center in Stockholm, Sweden since he was 23 years of age.
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Khamzat Chimaev moved there to start his MMA career in 2017, after previously living in another Swedish town, Kalmar, where he trained at the local wrestling club.
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Khamzat Chimaev continues to train alongside current and former UFC fighters such as Alexander Gustafsson, Ilir Latifi and Reza Madadi, with the latter being his main trainer.
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Khamzat Chimaev often utilizes his freestyle wrestling in his fights to get his opponents to the ground.
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Khamzat Chimaev's grappling is very often compared to Khabib Nurmagomedov's, due to the similarities of the techniques, such as the handcuff lock and hooking the legs.
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Khamzat Chimaev proved its effectiveness on the regional circuit as well, with a quick win over former two-time GHSA wrestling champion Sidney Wheeler after taking him down with an outside trip.
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Khamzat Chimaev uses his wrestling to set up his strikes by feinting different takedowns and vice versa.
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Khamzat Chimaev has previously used it to drop past opponents on the regional circuit, including former combat sambo World Champion Ikram Aliskerov.
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Khamzat Chimaev carries a notable scar on his lip, which he got at the age of two when he fell down on concrete stairs, leaving him unable to breathe correctly through one nostril.
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Khamzat Chimaev has an older brother named Artur, who competes in freestyle wrestling.
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Khamzat Chimaev contracted COVID-19 in December 2020 and suffered lingering symptoms that required multiple hospitalizations and the cancelation of a scheduled fight against Leon Edwards.
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Khamzat Chimaev is close with fellow mixed martial artists Darren Till and Jack Hermansson.
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Khamzat Chimaev has sparred with Kadyrov, and appeared in multiple photoshoots with Kadyrov.
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In 2022, Khamzat Chimaev began training Kadyrov's two teenage sons, Zelimkhan and Adam.
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Khamzat Chimaev was present during a livestream in which Kadyrov threatened to kill a minor who criticized his repressive rule.
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In March 2022, Chechen dissidents criticized Khamzat Chimaev's continued association with Kadyrov due to his repressive rule of the Chechen Republic.
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Khamzat Chimaev got married on 21 May 2022, in Chechnya and the wedding was attended by Kadyrov.