Khamzat "Borz" Chimaev
Raised in times of war in Chechnya, Khamzat grew up through the constant Chechen-Russian war with a sturdy and hard-labored temperament. His family at 19 ran away from their homeland and headed to Sweden, seeking betterment. As rough as it gets on his surface, deep down Khamzat remains very soft with a heart, who always cares about his nearest ones.
"I fight for my mom. I want to make her proud and give her a good life." - Khamzat Chimaev
He began learning the martial arts at a young age, and he excelled especially in wrestling and became national champion in Sweden and Chechnya numerous times. Not only was he unbeaten in these competitions, but he also had an undefeated record of 24-0. His achievement is all the more impressive considering the challenges he faced—already two years old, he had tumbled down the stairs, and in the process had a respiratory restriction in one nostril. But this disability never became an obstacle to his achievement.
Khamzat's arrogance is well-deserved. Inspired by Conor McGregor's meteoric rise to fame in MMA, he knew his opportunity to secure the livelihood of his family and saw a spark within himself. The time was ripe—one of his friends took him to a gym where he was not only going to train but also reside. He had no money to his name, so residing at the gym was his only option. He left everything on the mat, training four to five times a day.
"The first time I trained MMA, I felt like I was born for this." - Khamzat Chimaev
His dominance in the UFC could not be disputed. Having already made a name for himself after just six fights in the organization, he kept on performing in 2020 when the majority of sports events were shut down. The UFC was still operational, however, from a secure island. That is where Khamzat joined the middleweight ranks, beating his opponent in round two. Eager to battle once more within a few days, he was lucky enough to have his wish granted within just 10 days—breaking the UFC record for fastest turnaround between bouts.
For his second fight, he went down to welterweight level, 10 pounds lighter than middleweight. Once more, he dominated, showing his raw dominance. In two fights, he landed a whopping 192 strikes while his opponents managed only two combined. His performances left no doubt—Khamzat was a force to be reckoned with.
"I smash somebody, I’m healthy, I want to fight again. Why not?" - Khamzat Chimaev
Little over two months later, Khamzat was back in the octagon, this time against UFC veteran Gerald Meerschaert. In another display of mastery, he seemed to make it look easy, knocking out Meerschaert in just 17 seconds.
What seemed to be the year of his life came to a tragic end when Khamzat was diagnosed with lung cancer by a doctor. He began coughing up blood constantly, and retirement became a consideration. Despite being sick, he pushed through training, driven by his strong sense of obligation to care for his mother. But that only exacerbated the situation. After visiting a number of doctors, it was finally diagnosed that he didn't have cancer but had severe COVID-19 complications.
"I was done. I was coughing up blood, feeling like I was dying. I thought, maybe this is it for me." - Khamzat Chimaev
After a long layoff, Khamzat finally came back, this time to battle ranked opponent Li Jingliang. Everyone was asking if he was going to be the same fighter after such a loss, but he quickly shut the doubters up with another dominating performance. He didn't even take one shot and ended the fight in the first round, proving his hype was legitimate.
With his momentum in high gear, Khamzat was to go up against number-three-ranked welterweight Gilbert Burns. For the first time in his career in the UFC, he found himself facing actual adversity inside the octagon. In a ruthless back-and-forth fight, Khamzat ultimately emerged victorious, grabbing a hard-fought decision and solidifying himself as one of the best.
Khamzat's next bout, however, would drastically damage his stock. He missed weight by seven pounds on doctor's advice, but his unapologetic demeanor afterward sparked a storm of outrage. The weight miss forced the UFC to reshuffle the entire event, which meant last-minute opponent changes for a number of fighters—all because of him. This not only angered fans, but also other fighters, many of whom began to detest Khamzat.
"I don’t know why people don’t like me. I just go in, smash everybody, make money, and go home." - Khamzat Chimaev
Despite delivering another dominant performance in the fight, the damage was done. The fans were no longer on his side, and for the first time in his career, he was booed. Not used to such animosity, Khamzat took another long break before resurfacing the following year to face the number-three-ranked middleweight, Paulo Costa. But just a week before the fight, Costa withdrew with an injury.
Stepping in on short notice was previous welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, a beast but 10 pounds lighter by nature. The fight was tight, with most believing Usman had done enough to win, but the judges disagreed and awarded it to Khamzat. Rather than adding to his reputation, the win did nothing but fuel the criticism. Most expected that Khamzat should have won decisively over a smaller opponent who had taken the fight on just a week's notice. As it turned out, the closeness of the fight only fueled the skepticism regarding his status as a dominant force.
"I broke my hand in the first round, but I kept fighting. I don’t care—I fight anyone, anytime." - Khamzat Chimaev
From being hyped as a possible future double champion by the time 2021 came to a close to having many wonder if he might even secure a single UFC title, Khamzat's journey towards UFC gold has been an uphill battle.
In 2024, he ultimately made his long-awaited return, facing the number-two-ranked middleweight Robert Whittaker. For the first time in a while, Khamzat's dominance was on full display. He annihilated Whittaker, beating him in the first round and silencing all his doubters. This statement victory ultimately earned him the long-overdue title shot in the UFC, one step closer to realizing his dream.
Be a good human. - when Khamzat is asked what he would like to be remember when he is gone