Khamzat Chimaev returns to action (if all goes according to plan) this Saturday at UFC 308, ending another year away from the cage.
“Borz” took the UFC by storm in 2020, setting a record for quickest consecutive wins and quickest three-fight win streak. Then, injury and illness, including a nasty bout with COVID-19, slowed his role something fierce. He fought just once in 2021, got two in the following year, then dropped back to a single fight in 2023. That was 12 months ago now.
He also struggled with weight, missing so badly for a fight with Tony Ferguson at UFC 279 that the entire event had to be reshuffled. Chimaev (13-0) wound up booked into a last-minute scrap with Kevin Holland at a 180lb catchweight. His follow-up bout came against Kamaru Usman at 185, and he’ll stay at middleweight to face Robert Whittaker this Saturday.
While that has led to talk among fans about Chimaev’s lack of activity, the fighter himself isn’t bothered by the chatter. “Beginning of my career I was like this,” he admitted during the UFC 308 media day on Wednesday, in reference to his busy schedule and questioning why he should care. “This is just only fans, whatever they say, it’s nothing personal for me.”
The stop-start nature of Chimaev’s recent career has dampened title hopes many had for the fighter who once juggled both welterweight and middleweight. Featuring in the co-main event on Saturday with a title shot potentially on the line (but far from guaranteed, as is often the case with the UFC), Chimeav touched on that subject as well.
When it comes to earning a title shot, “I hope so,” stated Chimaev, “but they said that before as well, when I beat Gilbert Burns. How long a time was that? Two, three years ago now. I didn’t get my chance. After that, Usman. If he beats Usman, he’s going to fight for the title. I didn’t fight yet, so we’ll see. But I’m happy with the money, I’m making more money than any champ now.”
With that in mind, life is good, Chimaev agreed. Perhaps that’s helped by changes in training. Ahead of UFC 308, he’s spoken of previously training with no recovery time taken, and how it had worn on him. That has changed, though much of his old team is still around him, along with some new faces.
“I have my old coaches here, they’re my coaches and always will be my coaches. But this training camp we’re trying new things. We train with guys who train people 60 years, with professional wrestlers, with professional boxers. I have my doctor around me, I have my dietician around me, and the guy who is checking my supplements, everything. I never had so much team around me, so it will be a different Khamzat.”
Watch the full UFC 308 media day appearance by Khamzat Chimaev above.
