His appearance has changed. under the look Serene and reflective of a substitute philosophy teacher hides the most feared fighter in the UFC. Khamzat Chimaev (13-0) is back after a year of absence and controversy. The prodigy Chechen, who competes under the Emirati flag after renouncing Sweden (the country that welcomed him as a refugee), will face Robert Whittaker (27-7) in the co-main event of the UFC 308 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. It is the call to dominate by your fight, an initial assault without comparison… almost historic. But, inside, a whole storm of sensations not always positive.
Chimaev, at the weigh-in.
Chimaev, known as Badger (he lobo), He was destined to be champion and he hasn’t arrived yet. Everything made him think: a resume in which impressive achievements shone like win twice in 10 days or be the one who passes under the opponent the least in the entire company (only six seconds). Also for spectacularity and character. It had everything, and it cannot even be said that it is at the doors yet.
Because inside the Gvardeyskoe fighter there is a sea of doubts. From its best moments, mixed with many problems to make weight. He ended up going up to the middlebut other ghosts entered. They go through the immune system, which did not respond and caused very serious illnesses. “He is violently ill,” Dana White once said by suspending one of his fights (one with Whittaker in Riyadh, precisely). Or Covid, which almost removed him from the sport. And he added that it was getting worse with other factors.
The last known, depression. “He’s gone. I’m human and I have my problems to solve. Sometimes you think too much and I was stuck in depression,” he confessed. Cancellations, doubts and a coronation that had not arrived come together to sink a talent. Which also had, at the same time, its share of blame.
Chimaev celebrating one of his victories in the UFC.
The dictator’s favorite
Chimaev is, in addition to everything mentioned above, an athlete who never changed a part that defines him. His almost inseparable relationship with Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Chechnya. And he is not just any politician, Kadyrov is a warlord. Accused by Western media of organizing the murders of human rights activists, he frequently abuses power through military forces and is also accused of kidnapping and torturing the relatives of his detractors.
At the same time, Kadyrov is a major player in the Kremlin’s War against Ukraine. He started as an unconditional ally of Putin and provides him with all kinds of support (soldiers, weapons…). He also puts the leader of the central Moscow fortress on the spot by asking for unjustifiable things in return. Their relationship is completely dangerous. And what does Chimaev do there? As a Chechen, the fighter is Kadyrov’s great friend. And it’s hard to know if he has any other option besides being one…
Chimaev and Kadyrov.
But it is. Something that Kadyrov takes advantage of by giving him all kinds of things, such as luxury cars. But world sport doesn’t like it at all, and even less so in the United States. The UFC is based there, and Chimaev cannot enter the country to fight as Chechnya is a government enemy. A relationship that grew after the Boston Marathon attack, where Kadyrov pointed out the country of the star stripes itself. Chimaev is a victim of their friendship and, directly, does not have an entry visa to the United States. It is another ghost on his figure and one that limits the maximum his world title dreams.
