Khamzat Chimaev: The “Borz” is looking for the UFC title, Why now?

In Huntington Beach, California, on Sunday morning, Khamzat Chimaev walks barefoot through the house where he has resided for more than a month. In just 13 days, the Russian fighter, ranked number two in middleweight by ESPN, will compete for the first time for a UFC title. His opponent will be champion Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 319 in Chicago. This event, which has been anticipated for years, represents a crucial opportunity for Chimaev and for the world of mixed martial arts. However, at this moment, “Borz’s” mind seems to be elsewhere. His nutritionist and chef, Matteo Capodaglio, should be preparing lunch, but the day has taken an unexpected turn. Chimaev, after sleeping in and canceling a recovery session, decides to take a day off.

I told him this would be one of those days. He’s doing a “Rodman”.

Sweep, Chimaev’s management team member

The reference to Dennis Rodman, famous for his escapades at key moments in the NBA, illustrates Chimaev’s need to break free from the routine. This “liberation” manifests itself in a brief pause, a change of course that allows him to recharge his energy.

You can see it in his personality, his fire begins to go out. That’s when you know you need to let him loose for a day. Let him do what he wants and he will come back like a monster.

Sweep

Chimaev decides to go to the beach, just a few minutes away. Although he’s not a “beach guy”, this change of scenery seems to be just what he needs. After swimming and finding some shade, his mood and energy improve noticeably. Back home, he participates in a wrestling session on the couch with his teammate Issa Isakov, and the day resumes its course.

The most important recovery is here.

Khamzat Chimaev, pointing to his head

It is beneficial for Chimaev’s team to see him in this state, especially considering that in a few days he will compete for a UFC championship in the United States, a country where he has not been since 2022 due to visa issues. The article continues to address Chimaev’s challenges, including health problems and travel restrictions, and how he has overcome them to reach this crucial point in his career.

Another significant issue Chimaev has faced is international travel. As a famous citizen of Chechnya, Chimaev has had many interactions with the head of the republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, who is subject to U.S. sanctions related to human rights abuses. Chimaev has tried to stay out of politics, but the real complexities of his Chechen citizenship and the relations between the United States and Russia have had an undeniable effect on his ability to fight on the most important UFC stages in the United States. His last two appearances, against Usman in October 2023 and Whittaker in October 2024, took place on the annual UFC pay-per-view card in Abu Dhabi. The situation only changed when Chimaev became a citizen of the United Arab Emirates and President Donald Trump, a former UFC fan and friend of White, took office in January.

Everyone knows I didn’t have the visa. That’s why I [only fought] in Abu Dhabi. Now, Donald Trump is here, so we’re going to fight.

Khamzat Chimaev

For now, the travel issue has been resolved and the visa Chimaev obtained in February is valid for the next two years. Furthermore, for now, his team said that he has learned to navigate his medical condition much better than in the first months after the procedure. Everything from rest to nutrition and social habits has improved.

Dark times make a person stronger.

Khamzat Chimaev

Do the trials and tribulations of the last few years make this championship fight more significant than it would have been if it had been handed over much more easily five years ago?

I don’t know. I just want to go, fight, make money. When we started talking about the belt, like the guys who say: ‘You are the first Chechen to fight for the belt’, yes, maybe it’s big, but it’s still a fight. I’ve [fought] before, 14 times. Now, I’m going to do one more.

Khamzat Chimaev

Retired UFC veteran Ilir Latifi will never forget seeing the security footage of Chimaev inside the Allstars Training Center in Sweden in the middle of the night. Chimaev joined Allstars in 2017 and lived in a small warehouse at the gym for the first two years of his career. At night, he spent time watching television shows on his phone and, occasionally, went out to the mats.

The guys used to send videos from inside the gym, like at 1 or 2 in the morning: Khamzat hitting the bag alone.

Ilir Latifi

When Chimaev’s career has been free of complications and he has simply been allowed to compete, he has shown more potential than anyone in MMA since the great Jon Jones. Much of that promise is due to his work ethic, which has become a kind of folk tale in itself. Part of the reason Chimaev got so sick in 2021 is that he refused to stop training, even after testing positive for COVID-19 and could barely climb a flight of stairs. Many assume that the work ethic is something Chimaev was born with, but his Brazilian jiu-jitsu coach, Alan “Finfou” Nascimento, suspected that there was another explanation: Chimaev was always driven to take care of his family, who struggled with poverty in his Chechen village.

What is too much to save your family’s life?

Alan “Finfou” NascimentoChimaev has fulfilled that motivation in many ways. There are several houses under construction very close to each other on the outskirts of his village in Chechnya, where Chimaev plans to live with his mother and one of his brothers. Not far from the family complex, his father lives in Chimaev’s childhood home, which has been remodeled. Not far from that, Chimaev is in the process of building a large MMA gym, where he will train for future fights and, more importantly, provide training opportunities for local youth. His mother, who used to postpone meals until she was sure her children were fed and had left the table, can enjoy her life, spending time between Sweden and Chechnya. She regularly asks her son if he has become the UFC champion yet, because he once told her that he might stop fighting after that happened. These are the details that could make fans nervous, as just when it finally seems that Chimaev is cleared to fight, his reasons for doing so have been fulfilled. He admits that he doesn’t care about the idea of a UFC belt. When pointing out how many belts former UFC champions Jones and Demetrious Johnson should have in their possession, he acknowledges that what really matters to them is family. That said, he still wants money. He jokes that he feels that all UFC fans think he’s rich, but his bank account doesn’t agree. He feels the responsibility to earn money, for himself and his family, but also for the children in his village and for the teammates who train alongside him, a number that, according to Sweep, can grow to 40 fighters when Chimaev is in Russia. Offering them help is more appealing to him than luxury.

I went through all those things, you know? I’ve seen all the money. I’ve seen the good life: crazy cars, private jets, watches and clothes. I want to earn more money to help someone who needs it, you know? Many of the young people who are helping me, I hope they will be better than me someday. I see myself in them when I was in their position. So I can’t stop. If someone from my team becomes UFC champion, maybe then I can stop.

Khamzat Chimaev

There’s still talk of winning three UFC titles, something that has never been done in the history of the sport. Five years ago, some would have considered it possible that Chimaev would have reached that goal by now. Instead, he’s fighting for his first on Saturday, but there have been conversations within the team about him dropping down to the welterweight limit of 170 pounds, where he hasn’t fought since April 2022. And there’s always talk of moving up to challenge for a belt at light heavyweight. At Du Plessis this weekend, he will face a two-time defending champion who has made a career out of proving skeptics wrong. Du Plessis has been widely regarded as one of the most unorthodox fighters in the world, but he has earned respect by finishing the top two middleweights of his generation, Israel Adesanya and Whittaker, and overcoming Sean Strickland twice in the last two years. Still, Chimaev is the betting favorite in this title fight, according to ESPN BET, and money has poured in against the champion. Every time Chimaev has entered the octagon in his career, the odds have been in his favor. As the challenger, he will come out first at UFC 319, which means he will have time for himself in the octagon while waiting for Du Plessis. Nascimento, who was in Alexander Gustafsson’s corner for his title fights against Jones and Daniel Cormier, will probably try to encourage Chimaev as he always does, reminding Chimaev why he is there. He is doing it for his family, his people, and, although to a lesser extent these days, his own legacy. But as much as those reasons have helped him overcome the difficulties of the last few years, Chimaev said that they don’t matter once he enters the cage.

I tell them: ‘Guys, I don’t need that. I don’t need you to say anything.’ If I go to the cage, my heart is closed. It’s going to fight anyway. My heart wants to fight.

Khamzat Chimaev

It’s another reason why it’s so special. And why despite everything that has happened, the best could be yet to come.