Khamzat Chimaev is currently one of the most popular mixed-martial-arts fighters in the world. ‘Borz’ is known for causing havoc outside and bringing chaos inside the octagon. ‘Borz’ is 6-0 in the promotion and has won all of his fights with ruthless aggression.
His scary and reckless persona quickly made him a UFC villain. The Chechen fighter took the UFC by storm. He made his promotional debut back in 2020 against John Philips. The majority of his wins inside the cage have come via way of stoppages and he’s infamous for ragdolling his opponents while displaying superior wrestling.
At this point, Chimaev’s beard has become a trademark and not all of the fans will recognize him without it. Recently the Chechen shared a picture on his Instagram back from his school days.
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Many fight fans had trouble recognizing ‘Borz’ in his childhood, while some had no problem at all. In case you’re wondering – it’s the boy in the brown sweater in the front row. As pointed out by many fans, it can be seen that everyone except Chimaev is in uniform and his lip scar is almost visible.
Was Khamzat Chimaev born in Chechnya?
Khamzat Chimaev was born in the Chechen Republic of Russia or Chechnya. ‘Borz’ started training in wrestling when he was just five years old and won bronze medals in National tournaments. Chimaev proclaims himself as “the Chechen gangster”.
When he turned 18, Chimaev immigrated to Sweden with his mother and joined his older brother, Artur, who is also into combat sports and competes in freestyle wrestling. It was his brother who inspired Chimaev to start wrestling.
While in Sweden, Chimaev used to work in a poultry factory. The Chechen also worked security jobs before becoming a professional fighter. After moving to Sweden, Chimaev started training MMA at Allstar Training Center in Stockholm where he still trains.
Before making it big, ‘Borz’ used to live in the gym and had a small room inside the gym. Prior to signing with the UFC, Chimaev used to compete in International Ring Fight Arena and Brave Combat Federation. Chimaev is 12-0 as a professional and will return to action next year.