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The advent of Khamzat Chimaev into the UFC coincided with a period of remarkable growth in viewership, a development largely attributable to the global pandemic. He became a fighter that fans got excited about after the morbid COVID-19 phase and in-house APEX tales. Khamzat Chimaev’s skyrocketing fight record helped sell the matter even more.
Chimaev fought in three amateur MMA fights between September 2017 and April 2018, starting against the future IMMAF World Champion. Then he went pro. Come 2020, the Chechen ‘Borz’ made his mark at Fight Island when all other global sports were at a standstill due to the COVID pandemic. He benefited from this and made leaps and bounds, with the global fight clique soon knowing his name.
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Khamzat Chimaev MMA Record
| W-L-D | (T)KO | SUB |
| 14-0-0 | 6-0 | 6-0 |
Khamzat Chimaev Fight Stats (Per UFC Leaderboards)
| SLpM – Significant Strikes per Minute | 5.36 | TD Avg. – Average Takedowns Landed/15 mins | 4.31 |
| Str. Acc. – Significant Striking Accuracy | 58% | TD Acc. – Takedown Accuracy | 46% |
| SApM – Significant Strikes Absorbed/minute | 3.25 | TD Def. – Takedown Defense | 100% |
| Str. Def. – Significant Strike Defence | 41% | Sub. Avg. – Average Submissions/15 mins | 2.8 |
Getting started
Khamzat Chimaev made his promotional debut at UFC on ESPN 13. He bagged the pivotal middleweight bout vs. John Phillips, via second-round submission. The win that started off his UFC record also won him a POTN honor.
Just 10 days later, in a sensational string of events, he clashed against Rhys McKee (at 170 pounds this time) at UFC on ESPN 14. Chimaev won by R1 technical knockout and got his second POTN award.
He bagged his 3rd POTN award in short order, fighting Gerald Meerschaert on 19 September 2020, at UFC Fight Night 178. Chimaev finished the matter just 17 seconds into the fight. This also set the record for the fastest three-fight winning streak [66 days] in modern UFC competition history.
Khamzat Chimaev vs. Leon Edwards
During Khamzat’s ascent through the UFC 170-pound rankings, he was to be booked against one Leon Edwards on three separate occasions, starting with UFC Fight Night 183. The original plan was for them to fight in December 2020 at a Fight Night feature headliner. However, Edwards’ positive test result for the Coronavirus ruled him out of the event. This left Chimaev without an opponent.
A month later, they were re-booked again in a headlining spot. However, this time, Chimaev withdrew due to ongoing complications from the novel COVID strain. The UFC endeavored to make it a third time mere two months later for a March Fight Night main event. Nevertheless, Chimaev once again withdrew.
Meanwhile, ‘Rocky’ would win the welterweight title from one of the greats in pure empathetic fashion at UFC 278 and pave his own way to greatness. The Chechen fighter himself would return to log a technical submission vs. Li Jingliang on 30 October 2021, at UFC 267.
Khamzat Chimaev vs. Gilbert Burns
No flashy knockouts or submissions, but still, this was a pure skills test and a proper barnburner on his fight record. Khamzat Chimaev butted heads with Gilbert Burns in an explosive three-round war at UFC 273, 9 April 2022. The Emirati sensation got a UD win on the judges’ scorecards, but this was perhaps the first fight where he had to overcome a hurdle in the Octagon.
Burns and Chimaev went at it thoroughly, with the former even dropping him. It won FOTN honors and the #1 place at the Crypto.com Fan Bonus of the Night award. It’s a sensational scrapper that PPV broadcaster Jon Anik considers would make some Hall of Fame wing someday.
Khamzat Chimaev vs. Nate Diaz
On September 10, 2022, at the UFC 279 PPV main event, Nate Diaz was scheduled to make his last walk. He was rewarded a fight against the undefeated Borz for it, and there was substantial hype surrounding the fight. But Chimaev had clocked in at 178.5 pounds, seven and a half pounds over the welterweight non-title fight limitation.
So, the bout order was scrapped, and Chimaev instead faced Kevin Holland, who was already slated for a 180-pound catchweight bout against Daniel Rodriguez. The Team Allstars Training Center fighter won it via first-round D’Arce.
Khamzat Chimaev vs. Kamaru Usman
Chimaev next returned to middleweight and was to face Paulo Costa. But after a subsequent elbow surgery due to staph, Costa was clinically deemed unfit to return to camp. He faced former welterweight king and former #1 Pound-for-pound fighter Kamaru Usman and edged him out via majority decision.
Khamzat Chimaev vs. Robert Whittaker
The 31-year-old had the promise of gold and rang it up once more after defeating a name like Usman. Khamzat Chimaev’s undefeated fight record saw him then booked to face former middleweight champ Robert Whittaker in a clear title eliminator at UFC on ABC 6. However, he had to withdraw due to sudden illness.
Khamzat Chimaev later faced Whittaker atop the UFC 308 PPV card and submitted him via first-round face crank. The 2024 SOTY contender resulted in a dislocated jaw and inherited a ‘POTN’ honor.
