What is Khamzat Chimaev’s Fighting Style? Career Highlights & Stats

His name has been causing fire and smoke in all parts of the world for the last three years. Khamzat proved to be an unpleasant opponent through two categories where he strikes fear into the hearts of opponents and has many ways to end the match quickly.

Early Days

Khamzat Khizarovich Chimaev was born in 1994 in Gvardeyskoye, Chechnya, Russia. At 18, Khamzat immigrated with his mother to Sweden, where his older brother was living and had their citizenship. 

Sweden seemed much better than Chechnya, and the trip was due to wartime circumstances, which played a crucial role in creating his character. Life of immigrants was never easy, and even in Sweden, Khamzat had to fight through hunger and adversity when no one knew about him. Borz worked at a poultry factory in Kalmar and did security work while pursuing his childhood dream of becoming a professional fighter.

Amateur Career

Chimaev started wrestling at five years old while still living in Russia, winning a bronze medal at the National Tournament. Khamzat took his wrestling skills to Sweden, where he won national championships three years in a row and participated in judo competitions and combat sambo.

After he transitioned to MMA when he joined the famous Allstars Training Center, Borz fought three amateur fights in the period from September 2017 to April 2018, where he finished all three opponents before the end of the fight, showing his grappling skills as well as his ability to knock out.

Professional Career

After excelling in amateur fights, Chimaev turned to a professional career, which he opened in 2018. He participated in Swedish events International Ring Fight Arena and Fight Club Rush before moving to Brave FC, fighting four times in the Middle East. Khmazat competed in middleweight, welterweight, and catchweight.

After only two years of professional competition, he arrived at the door of the UFC, where he is still today with his perfect career. In just five years of professional fighting, Chimaev has won 13 matches, with six knockouts, five submissions, and two decisions, and is rapidly climbing to the title. Geral Meerschaert, Rhys McKee, Kevin Holland, and Li Jingliang are fighters who fell against Khamzat in the first rounds. In the rest of his career, he defeated more top UFC names, such as welterweight gatekeeper Gilbert Durinho Burns and former dominant welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.

Fighting Style

Dominant Wrestling Prowess: Khamzat Chimaev’s wrestling is his standout asset, characterized by exceptional strength, endurance, and technical precision. His ability to swiftly take opponents to the ground has been a key feature in many of his UFC matches.

Efficient Finishes and Brain Preservation: Khamzat’s quick finishes in matches showcase his skill and highlight his strategic approach to preserving his brain cells while achieving victories.

Persistent and Forceful Wrestling Style: Known for his persistent and forceful wrestling, Khamzat can impose his will on opponents. However, it comes with a trade-off, as he tends to tire quickly—an aspect he aims to address in the future.

Striking Prowess and Devastating Power: Beyond wrestling, Khamzat is a formidable striker with sharp jabs, dangerous uppercuts, and the ability to inflict damage or finish opponents with his striking power.

Versatile Stand-Up Style: Khamzat employs a versatile stand-up style featuring sharp counters, attacks, lazy front kicks, and occasional low kicks. His mobile stance keeps him ready for both offensive and defensive maneuvers.

Aggressive and Engaging Exchanges: Borz, true to his fighting spirit, engages in exchanges aggressively and attractively, providing an entertaining spectacle for the audience. His hunger for a fight is evident in his unintelligent yet captivating approach.

Constant Threat of Takedowns: Khamzat’s mobile body movements and readiness for takedowns keep opponents on their toes, creating a constant threat that he can exploit quickly and effectively.

Resilient Head Movement: While his head has proven resilient to blows, Khamzat acknowledges the need to mitigate damage suffered in previous matches for his long-term well-being.

Devotion to Daily Training: Khamzat’s youth and commitment to daily training sessions indicate a promising trajectory for continual improvement, ensuring that he evolves and performs at his best in each subsequent match.

Achievements in Martial Arts

Chimaev was breaking records and collecting bonuses long before the UFC when he won the Knockout of the Night at Brave FC against Ikram Aliskerov. His most successful year was when he debuted for the UFC in 2020, where he was named Breakthrough Fighter of the Year and received the UFC Debut of the Year award.

He received recognition for Newcomer and Male Fighter of the Year in the same year. Khamzat was honored with Performance of the Night, which he won four times, and Fight of the Night against Gilbert Burns. Borz has the fastest three-fight winning streak in the UFC, which he achieved in just 66 days, winning two matches in just ten days.

The Most Incredible Win

The fact that it is very difficult to isolate just one phenomenal fight of the Chechen speaks of what kind of martial prospect it is. Some fighters fell in the first rounds, and some were lucky enough to see the second round, where, unfortunately for them, they were brutally finished. However, the most impressive victories would be against Burns and Usman.

Gilbert Burns was the first man Chimaev went to three rounds in a Fight of the Night that was tense from start to finish, with both fighters showing what they’re made of. The fight had all the segments of this game and showed a superb display of MMA between two welterweight giants. Khamzat returned the following year in a match against Kamaru Usman, and the winner was promised a chance for the middleweight title.

Although a fight with Paulo Costa was scheduled, Usman rushed in at the last moment to save the event and provide quality resistance against the young and hungry Khamzat in front of his audience. After three quality rounds, Chimaev won after three rounds against short-notice Usman.

Daily Training Gear

Chimaev’s training equipment perfectly matches its quality. Khamzat, like all the smart ones, wears Venum shinguards that promise the durability of the item and the safety of the legs. A wide range of boxing gloves can be seen at his training sessions, including WinningRDX and Rival, perfect for working on combinations with a partner.

Also, hybrid RDX gloves, which are the best on the market for MMA sparring, provide comfort and safety. The items from the RDX range suit him perfectly because Khamzat uses both ankle protection and shinguards because he knows the priority should be on his and his partner’s safety.

Venum Elite Standup Shin Guards
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Winning Professional Boxing Gloves 8oz MS200
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RIVAL Boxing RS100 Professional Lace-Up Sparring Gloves
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Net Worth

He is not even a champion yet, and Borz has already secured a net worth of 1 million dollars. Judging by the last two matches, Khamzat has received a salary of one million dollars due to his fiery publicity, and his penchant for bonuses allows him to earn an additional $50,000 almost every match. He also spends his money on humanitarian purposes.

He has income from the Smilodox clothing brand, Superz Budapest perfume, YOFLEET rent-a-car company, Pain Pen as a medical sponsor, and Dragon Energy drink, whose sponsorships have followed him for several years, making his life sweet and his training sweeter.

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Last update on 2024-12-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Gregori Povolotski

I have been practicing martial arts since 2007. For as long as I can remember, I have always had a huge passion for combat sports, especially Muay Thai and boxing. Helping people on their martial arts journey is what drives me to keep training and learn new things. Read More About Me

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