Khamzat Chimaev shuts down rumor that he’s unable to fight in the U.S. ahead of UFC 308 return: “Lot of s*it”

UFC middleweight contender Khamzat Chimaev wants to shut down a rumor ahead of his return.

‘Borz’ has been out of the cage since a trip to Abu Dhabi last October. In the co-main event of UFC 294, Khamzat Chimaev faced short-notice replacement Kamaru Usman. ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ entered the fight on a two-fight losing streak, and was ultimately handed a unanimous decision loss.

Now, the Chechen is set to return to the cage in the co-main event of UFC 308 on Saturday night. There, Khamzat Chimaev is set for the biggest test of his career against former champion Robert Whittaker. For his part, ‘The Reaper’ is fresh off a first-round knockout win over Ikram Aliskerov in June out in Saudi Arabia.

Speaking in a recent interview with CBS Sports’ Shakiel Mahjouri, Khamzat Chimaev discussed his UFC return. There, the middleweight contender was asked about a longtime rumor regarding his U.S. visa status. According to several reports, Chimaev’s right to enter the United States was revoked in 2022 due to his ties to Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov.

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Khamzat Chimaev discusses his visa status ahead of UFC 308 return against Robert Whittaker

However, the UFC middleweight contender shut that rumor down. Speaking in the interview, Khamzat Chimaev stated that he absolutely can fight in the United States as needed. While he hasn’t done so in over two years, that’s due to other factors including injuries and timing.

“I don’t think [it would be a problem], there’s a lot of s*it things [being said].” Khamzat Chimaev stated in the interview ahead of his UFC 308 return. “I’ve been in the U.S., and can come to the U.S. But, a lot of s*it things have happened in my life. Being sick, having surgeries, so that’s why I’ve [not] been fighting [there] like before.”

He continued, “So, Abu Dhabi being close to me, I’ll fight here. I’ve been in England, I’ve been in the U.K., the U.S., I’m going to go to Australia soon in December. I can be anywhere. So, I don’t know who has a problem with me, and people say a lot of different things. I don’t know.”

What do you make of these comments from the UFC middleweight contender? Do you think Khamzat Chimaev will beat Robert Whittaker on Saturday?