UFC #3 ranked welterweight Khamzat Chimaev is known to be good friends with Ramzan Kadyrov. As such, Khamzat has been seen training together with the Head of the Chechen Republic many times. However, Khamzat’s friendship with Kadyrov has not gone down well with everyone.
One such individual happens to be Swedish right-wing politician, Rasmus Paludan. Previously, Paludan was seen burning the holy Quran in front of the Turkish embassy in Stockholm. At the time, “Borz” posted on his socials, condemning the politician’s actions and branding him a “terrorist.”
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Taking to Instagram, Khamzat wrote, “HE IS A TERRORIST FOR US, I AM MUSLIM BUT NEVER BEEN AGAINST ANYBODY’S RELIGION, NEVER DONE WHAT HE DOES TO ANYBODY’s RELIGION, WHY YOU LET HIM DO THIS. We all shouldn’t keep quiet, you call us brothers so show us some respect.” Following Khamzat’s rant against his actions, Paludan also gave a response.
This time, Paludan was seen burning another Quran outside the Russian Embassy and sending a message to Chimaev. In the video, Paludan wrote, “A shame that @khamzat_chimaev insulted me. So I decided to burn a book in his honor in front of the residence of the Russian Ambassador in Denmark. Will Khamzat continue to misbehave like infamous Ramzan Kadyrov? Must I teach them to behave?”
Although Paludan has been accused of hate crimes and islamophobia, no action has been taken against the politician. On social media, fans have condemned his actions and consider it an attack on billions of Muslims worldwide. Currently, there is no response from Khamzat on the matter.
Khamzat Chimaev’s relationship with Ramzan Kadyrov
Previously, Khamzat Chimaev was in legal trouble due to his passport, in Russia. At the time, it was assumed that Chimaev’s connection with Kadyrov helped ease the situation. The Chechen dictator also happens to be a close ally of the Russian President, Vladimir Putin.
Further, Kadyrov was also known to have inspired Chimaev to come out of retirement. After an emphatic run in 2020, Chimaev was diagnosed with COVID-19, which had severe effects on his health. At the time, Chimaev wanted to stop training and wished to walk away from the sport for good. As such, it was Kadyrov who convinced him from taking that decision, stating that he was an inspiration for youth in the country.
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Moreover, Kadyrov was also instrumental in solving a dispute between Khamzat and Islam Makhachev’s teammate Abubakar Nurmagomedov. At UFC 280, the two fighters got into a scuffle which was then resolved by Kadyrov over a video call. Additionally, Chimaev is known to train Kadyrov’s teenage son, Ali Kadyrov.
Currently, Chimaev is training alongside Ali at the Tiger Muay Thai facility in Thailand. In his recent social media posts, Khamzat could be pictured training with Kadyrov’s son and a few other fighters from his entourage. Notably, Khamzat also cornered the young fighter when he made his MMA debut at ACA 150, last December.
With Khamzat’s friendship with Kadyrov stronger than ever, what do you anticipate next from Paludan? What did you make of the Swedish politician’s actions? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
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