Khamzat Chimaev has been a much sought-after fighter since his arrival in the UFC. Be it his dominant performances, his trash talk on the mic, or just his overall persona, Chimaev has the ability to captivate everyone. As such, one of his most notorious moments came when he butted heads with team Khabib.
At UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi, Khamzat got into an altercation against a member of Khabib’s team. After the conclusion of the PPV event, Khamzat was seen in a scuffle with Abubakar Nurmagomedov. A teammate of Islam Makhachev, Abubakar, and Khamzat allegedly came to blows over a disagreement.
As such, Khamzat has recently opened up about the situation and his relationship with Khabib Nurmagomedov.
He added, “Everyone thinks like I had some problems with Khabib. I never had problems with Khabib. His brother or cousin, I don’t know, we had some conversations, little bit of problems with each other so but it was never a big thing. So we meet in Abu Dhabi, we said sorry that we punched each other, I don’t know….When we grow up you know, people from Dagestan and Chechen we fight like that you know?… I never had some problems with Khabib.
Soon after the incident, Khamzat, along with Abubakar and the rest of Khabib’s team were seen celebrating Islam’s victory. Moreover, Khamzat claims that he has always drawn inspiration from Khabib whilst fighting inside the Octagon. Thus, many assumed that the Eagle played a big role in settling the beef between Khamzat and Abubakar.
How was the fight between Khamzat Chimaev and Khabib’s teammate resolved?
Even though Khamzat has labeled the incident as nothing but a ‘small’ dispute, many often wondered how the matter was resolved so quickly. Although many suspected that Khabib was the main peacemaker between the two parties, it was later revealed that it was Ramzan Kadyrov instead. The Russian politician and Head of the Chechen Republic is an influential figure and remains one of Vladimir Putin’s most trusted allies.
Thus, Kadyrov took to Instagram to show that the situation had been diffused. Posting a screenshot of a video call between himself, Khamzat, and Abubakar, Kadyrov had seemingly disciplined the pair. With many commenting that Khamzat and Abubakar were on their best behavior afterward, Kadyrov seems to be the go-to guy in case of any trouble.
A lot has been made of Khamzat’s relationship with Kadyrov. Notably, Khamzat trains two of Kadyrov’s sons in MMA. Previously, their affiliation has been condemned by some as well, largely due to the Chechen dictator’s questionable actions. However, with this incident, any bad blood and beef between Khamzat and Khabib were squashed.
Thus, any potential fight between a member of Team Khabib and Chimaev is likely not a possibility in the future. Rather, it has been touted for a long time, that Khamzat will make his return to middleweight. Although Khamzat wishes to fight at welterweight again, only time will tell how things pan out.