Khamzat Chimaev News

Adam Martin - October 29, 2021

UFC welterweight contender Khamzat Chimaev was praised by UFC president Dana White ahead of his comeback fight this Saturday at UFC 267. Chimaev has not fought in over a year since he knocked out Gerald Meerschaert in September 2020. Following that win, which was Chimaev’s third straight victory in the Octagon, the promotion booked him against Leon Edwards in what would have been a No. 1 contender fight at welterweight. However, Chimaev was forced to withdraw from the Edwards fight due to contracting COVID-19. In fact, he actually retired from the sport for some time citing his illness, though he eventually was able to recover and return to action.

Adam D Martin - October 29, 2021

The official weigh-ins for UFC 267 took place on Friday in Abu Dhabi, and 29 of the 30 fighters scheduled to compete have made weight. In the main event, headliners Jan Blachowicz and Glover Teixeira are official for their UFC light heavyweight title fight after both men weighed in at 205lbs on the dot. As for the co-main event, Petr Yan and Cory Sandhagen both weighed in successfully for their interim bantamweight title bout. Yan was 135lbs while Sandhagen was 135lbs. And with that, both of the title fights scheduled to take place at Saturday’s UFC 267 card are now official.

Harry Kettle - October 29, 2021

Khamzat Chimaev has given his thoughts on the upcoming welterweight title clash between Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington. Chimaev is set to return to the UFC’s Octagon tomorrow night when he takes on Li Jingliang in a highly anticipated welterweight showdown at UFC 267. The Fight Island clash offers up a huge chance for Chimaev to prove that he is, as many believe, a future star in the UFC.

Cole Shelton - October 28, 2021

Khamzat Chimaev has offered to train Darren Till to help improve his wrestling. Chimaev and Till went back-and-forth earlier this year on an Instagram Live joking about possibly fighting one another. Many fans wanted to see the fight due to them both being fan-favorites but Chimaev made it clear he would smash Till.

Harry Kettle - October 25, 2021

UFC star Khamzat Chimaev has explained why he finds it difficult to respect Conor McGregor outside of his fighting ability. Over the years we’ve seen Conor McGregor achieve some truly great things inside the Octagon and, to an extent, within his business ventures away from fighting. Alas, he hasn’t always been the shining example of how a UFC champion should behave after a series of run-ins with the law.

Christopher Taylor - October 24, 2021

Khamzat Chimaev has revealed some information regarding his altercation with Kevin Holland at the UFC Apex Sports Complex. Shortly following the conclusion of UFC Vegas 6 in August of 2020, reports surfaced that Chimaev (9-0 MMA) and Holland (21-7 MMA) had been involved in a backstage scuffle.

Adam D Martin - October 14, 2021

Khamzat Chimaev is reportedly “on good terms” with Khabib Nurmagomedov after apologizing for the previous comments which he made. Chimaev previously told Nurmagomedov that he would “smash” him in an Instagram Live video from earlier this year. Those remarks triggered a bit of a feud between Chimaev and Nurmagomedov, and not long after, Chimaev left Dominance MMA.

Harry Kettle - August 10, 2021

Khamzat Chimaev has explained the situation regarding his supposed feud with Khabib Nurmagomedov. Back in 2020 it seemed as if Chimaev was easily going to become the UFC’s next breakout star after three magnificent wins to kickstart his run with the promotion. Alas, a long bout with COVID-19 left his promising career in jeopardy, but after a year away he’s set to return to the Octagon at UFC 267.

Adam D Martin - July 9, 2021

Top prospect Khamzat Chimaev is set to make his return to the Octagon when he fights Li Jingliang in a welterweight bout set for UFC 267. Raphael Marinho of Combate reported the Chimaev vs. Jingliang matchup for UFC 267, which is set to take place on October 30 in Abu Dhabi. According to the scribe, the matchup between Chimaev and Jingliang has been agreed to and all that’s left are for the contracts to be signed. But at this point, it looks like this is the fight the UFC wants.

Cole Shelton - June 23, 2021

Luke Rockhold was offered a UFC main event in August against Khamzat Chimaev but he claims the undefeated fighter turned it down. Rockhold has talked about a return to the Octagon for quite some time and wanted a top-ranked middleweight. Yet, the former UFC middleweight champion revealed he was offered to headline the August 28 Fight Night card but Chimaev turned it down. He was also offered a three-round fight against Chimaev at UFC 265 on August 7, but that too was declined by the Swede, Rockhold revealed to Ariel Helwani.

Adam D Martin - June 22, 2021

Khamzat Chimaev needs to get tested against the top dogs, says Ian Heinisch, suggesting that “he’s definitely got some lessons to learn.” Heinisch has been in-and-out of the UFC middleweight top-15 over the last few years, a place which Chimaev occupied briefly following his quick KO win over Gerald Meerschaert last year. Heinisch, of course, also has a big KO win over Meerschaert, but unlike Chimaev, Heinisch never got the sort of hype that Chimaev got after he knocked Meerschaert out. And while Heinisch says he can’t hate on the “stud” Chimaev for getting the hype, he still believes that the young Swede has a lot to learn inside the Octagon.

Adam D Martin - June 7, 2021

UFC welterweight contender Colby Covington says he’s “never even heard of” Khamzat Chimaev, asking “does this guy have a ranked win yet?” Covington is one of the top-ranked welterweights in the world and he is hoping to get a rematch with UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman for his next fight. However, one opponent Covington is not interested in is Chimaev, one of the welterweight division’s top prospects. Chimaev had an amazing UFC debut last summer when he finished three opponents in brutal fashion, but he has been dealing with health issues stemming from COVID-19 that have left him out of the Octagon since last September. Still, he says he is ready to get back into the cage this summer, and he wants to fight a top-15 opponent.

Adam D Martin - May 14, 2021

UFC middleweight Darren Till and welterweight prospect Khamzat Chimaev talked about a potential fight in a hilarious Instagram video. Till was recently announced to be returning to the Octagon this summer on August 14 when he takes on Derek Brunson in a five-round middleweight bout that headlines the UFC London event. As for Chimaev, he has been dealing with health issues all year long after a tough battle with COVID-19, but he is expected to make a return to the Octagon this summer. While Chimaev is fighting at welterweight now, it appears as though he is still interested in fighting at middleweight down the road, and Till could be an opponent.

Adam D Martin - May 10, 2021

UFC welterweight Neil Magny says he open to the Khamzat Chimaev fight, but explained why he has his concerns about waiting for him. Magny had one of his best performances ever as he won a unanimous decision over Geoff Neal at UFC Vegas 26. For Magny, beating someone as talented as Neal proves that he still has what it takes to be a top-10 fighter. It’s not a surprise, then, that so many other top contenders in the welterweight division are gunning for Magny, including Chimaev. The Swede has missed all of 2021 so far due to health issues but he is hoping to make his return to the Octagon this summer, and Chimaev has made Magny one of his targets.

Adam D Martin - May 3, 2021

UFC welterweight prospect Khamzat Chimaev appears to have a tracheostomy scar following his scary battle with COVID-19 earlier this year. Chimaev was supposed to be one of the UFC’s biggest stars in 2021, but it has been a forgettable year for the young Swede so far. Earlier this year, Chimaev contracted COVID-19 and had to pull out of his scheduled bout with Leon Edwards twice. Chimaev had such a scary situation with his health that he even considered retiring before he got healthier, changed his mind, and decided to return to the sport. He is now targeting a return later this summer or fall and has been calling out Nick Diaz in hopes of a big comeback fight.

Chris Taylor - May 1, 2021

Nick Diaz will not be making his highly anticipated Octagon return against Khamzat Chimaev according to his manager Kevin Mubenga. Earlier this week, Chris Taylor of BJPENN.com reported that the eldest Diaz brother had been formally offered a fight with Chimaev for later this summer.

Adam D Martin - April 23, 2021

UFC welterweight contender Neil Magny says that Khamzat Chimaev is “all talk” and he is open to fighting him when he returns to the Octagon. Magny returns to the Octagon on May 8 when he takes on fellow top-15 ranked welterweight Geoff Neal. Before the Magny vs. Neal fight was booked, Magny was linked to a fight against Khamzat Chimaev, but the fight wasn’t booked as the Swede is stilll not cleared to fight again after a vicious battle with COVID-19. Still, should Magny get by Neal in a few weeks’ time, he is interested in stepping into the Octagon with Chimaev as well.

Cole Shelton - April 22, 2021

Khamzat Chimaev believes he can compete at light heavyweight and beat the current champ in Jan Blachowicz. Chimaev took the MMA world by storm in 2020 as he fought twice in 10 days and earned wins at welterweight and middleweight. He followed that up with a one-punch KO over Gerald Meerschaert and was then booked to face Leon Edwards. Unfortunately, he has been dealing with lingering effects of COVID-19 but is eyeing a July or August return.