“It has nothing to do with Sweden.” Interview with his brother Khamzat Chimaev ahead of UFC 294

Fighter Biography Khamzata Chimaeva You can’t say it quickly, but you can say it briefly. Until about 2014, he was modestly involved in the struggle in the Chechen Republic. The only mention is the article “The Nadterechny region is proud of its athletes”.

Then Khamzat moved to Sweden. Home team wrestler Sven Engström tellthat his level of seriousness was felt from the first training sessions.

He then went to the MMA gym in Stockholm, where one of the strongest fighters in Europe, Alexander Gustafsson, was training. Gustafsson and his friends taught Chimaev MMA, and in response, Chimaev taught the Swede not to show his middle finger. “Where I am, there is Chechnya everywhere, but in Chechnya this is not accepted,” explained Chimaev at the 190 centimeter light heavyweight.

In 2018, he made his MMA debut. In 2020, together with the same Gustafsson, he went to fight in Abu Dhabi and suddenly became a substitute in one of the fights. In the first round, Chimaev destroyed John Phillips, and ten days later he lost a category and defeated Reece McKee. Two months later they gave him Gerald Meerschaert and Chimaev demolished him on the first try. After that, the pace of his performances decreased significantly: after fighting three fights in two months, three more fights took Khamzat three years. Everything intervened: Covid, visa problems, refusal of opponents.

He is now fighting with former welterweight champion (up to 77 kg) Kamaru Usman, but in the middleweight category (84 kg). Their fight was mentioned in the spring, but will take place on October 21 in Abu Dhabi. Usman reached a new weight, discovered fighting in 10 days and, at the age of 36, had greatly depleted his health in combat. In the context of his fight with Chimaev, only an attempt to stop a truck loaded with crushed stones on the Argun highway could seem more reckless.

Arthur Chimaev speak :

— Did you delve into his sporting career when he was starting out in MMA?

“We were wrestling together, and when he moved to MMA I wasn’t there, I was working, I moved to Sweden and he came to me only two years later.

— He studied with Dega Bagaev. And you?

– No, I was already in Sweden when he started training there. And that’s how we started working in the village. We had rural coaches: Lecha Galtakov, Saverb (eventually Said – TV Match Note) Galtakov. There are a lot of them there.

—Have you held a rank?

– No. I played for the Swedish national team once, we went to Holland for a competition and I got injured. There was a labral tear in the shoulder joint, and after that I couldn’t do any exercise, there was pain.

— When Khamzat decided to fight in MMA, where they do techniques and can punch you in the face for 15 minutes, how did you react?

— He reacted normally, he worked there before. A person must be prepared for all this.

—He said that when you were a child you asked him to fight. Who was your toughest opponent?

— These were all the options of childhood. I wouldn’t call anyone particularly tough.

— Khamzat said that he doesn’t even ask his father what he does, because it’s not usual. Do you really have such strong traditions?

– Yes, I think he knows and can ask a few questions. And his parents’ first priority is to worry about his health; they try to support him as best they can. They watch broadcasts of his fights at home, in Chechnya, with their family.

– Is mom watching?

– We persuade her, but it turns out differently, I think she will also be somewhere nearby. We have a lot of parents watching us, from mom and dad’s side.

—Are they in Sweden or in the Republic?

– They are in Chechnya.

— Do you have family in Sweden currently?

– No, now there is no one and nothing binds.

— Is there a place out there that you miss, where you like to be?

— I go there periodically, for work, for Khamzat business, but there are no favorite places there.

— Now everyone is wondering if Khamzat has a visa for the United States. Can you tell me what is wrong with this problem?

– Needs an update now. There were rumors about it, they said they wouldn’t give him a visa to England, but he did it a few months ago and got on the plane. Now this is what they do – there are no long-term visas, they are issued for six months, three months. If he has a fight planned in the United States, they submit documents and open a visa. It is considered functional, so to receive it you must have a combat contract.

– We speak to you 44 hours before the weigh-in – are you satisfied with his form?

“I’m happy that he now feels confident and has had a long camp here, more than two months. I myself arrived three weeks ago. I see he’s ready.

– How much does he weigh now?

— Around 89-90 kg.

— How long has it been since we learned that the fight with Paulo Costa had been canceled and that Kamaru Usman had come to replace him?

“It took about a week before we all found out at once. » He said he didn’t care. He said, “Just give me someone to fight.” »

“He talked a lot about belts and even belts in different weight categories, but today at the press conference he said several times that he would like to win money. Why has the discourse changed so much?

– I can’t say that anything has changed. The general idea is to make money and make your life easier in the future. But there is also a goal: to get a belt.

— How much did his fee increase between his first UFC fight and his seventh?

– I can’t discuss it.

– Khamzat said he would represent the UAE in this fight, can you tell me why he made such a choice – was there a proposal?

– I don’t know.

— Do you think that some journalists from the United States and Europe do not understand Khamzat’s mentality when he says that he is ready to die or kill in a cage? What is for him only partly a game for the public?

– Well, they might not understand it, yes, they might think it’s to promote the fight. I have known him since childhood, he is a confident person.

– With whom did he have the hardest sparring you have seen?

— In Sweden, it was with Gustafsson and Ilir Latifi. And I didn’t participate much in this preparation. Now Albert Duraev, Abubakar Vagaev are helping us, there was an Iranian heavyweight wrestler, I didn’t see him, but I knew he also worked with us.

-Have you decided who will be around?

“They definitely decided with the manager, but I definitely won’t be around: I’ll be worried and I have no understanding of MMA. It is best to have coaches or team members working with him constantly.

—Are you going to watch the fight in the arena?

– Yes of course. I worry about my brother, but not so much that I don’t come to the fights and watch.

— At what weight could he finally fight for the belt?

— I think 84 kg at the start. I think it can hold 77kg, but I don’t really want it to push the weight.

— Does he have a heavy cut of 77 kg?

– I happened to be. When he had his second UFC fight in two weeks, I got on a plane. This is a very difficult ordeal for a person, an unpleasant sight. People don’t see that. I hate seeing my brother like this.

– Can you imagine an opponent who will give him a competitive fight?

– Don’t think. He now has Kamaru Usman and Sean Strickland (UFC middleweight champion – Editor’s note: ) in front of him. I think they are both very comfortable fighters for Khamzat. Even Usman, he has wrestling, but he hasn’t tested it seriously as I see it.

— So far the toughest fight for Chimaev was with Gilbert Burns, they fought for three rounds, both suffered damage. How did you look at it?

“He could have fought this fight a lot easier for himself, but he wanted to knock him out and became obsessed with it.

—During the week of the battle, did the head of the Chechen Republic call you?

– We call each other, he supports me. Yesterday, Akhmad, Eli and Adam were at training (the sons of Ramzan Kadyrov – Note from ), there was a joint training.

-And he called?

– Yes.

– Could one of the wires be around?

– Yes, they can. We will decide soon.

— Do you watch MMA, apart from the Khamzat fights?

– No. I prefer wrestling. Now a guy from Dagestan won the World Championship (Akhmed Tazhudinov – Rating from ). There was an interesting story: when I was little, I took pictures with Sadulayev, and now I defeated him. It’s interesting to watch.

— Do you know Buvaysar Saitiev?

– I – no, Khamzat – yes. In any case, we will meet and discuss.

Live broadcasts of mixed martial arts tournaments can be seen on and Match! Fighter”, as well as on the sites matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru.