“Hard time without food” – Khamzat Chimaev opened up on the tough times he faced in his childhood
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Khamzat Chimaev at the ceremonial weigh-ins for UFC 279
Khamzat Chimaev has arguably seen the biggest rise compared to any fighter in the UFC. Since making his debut on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi, Chimaev has dominated everyone he faced. Undefeated in the octagon, Chimaev has proven himself to be a tough man. While ‘Borz’ has spent countless amount of hours to develop toughness, his childhood too played a role in it.
During an interview with ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, Chimaev detailed the hard and harsh realities of his childhood. He said, “I grew up in my religion, some small village, like yeah. It was a tough time when I was young. I remember that stuff as was after the war. I come to this world when it’s world war and yeah, it was a hard time without food.”
‘Borz’ further added, “Now everything is good, everything is better. I am happy for my country and will do something for these guys, you know, for these people. When I fight, win my fight, if they get like a little bit smile in the face, I would be happy for them.“
Despite facing horrid times early in his life, Khamzat Chimaev has done well for himself and his family. The man who once suffered through hard times without food, now finds himself at the top of the welterweight division.
Related: How many languages does Khamzat Chimaev Speak? Can he speak English?
Khamzat Chimaev has dominated his competition in the UFC
Those who witnessed Khamzat Chimaev’s debut against John Philips, knew the fighter had something special about him. Submitting the Welsh fighter in round two, Chimaev made a quick return to the octagon and faced Rhys McKee at 170-pounds ten days later. McKee too did not prove to be a challenge for Chimaev as the Russian-born Swedish fighter won via TKO in round one.
For his third fight in the octagon, Chimaev moved back to middleweight and faced a formidable challenge against Gerald Meerschaert. However, Chimaev once again proved his superiority as he knocked out Meerschaert in round one. While ‘Borz’ was enjoying a great run of form in the UFC, a battle with Covid-19 put a halt to the the fighter’s career for sometime.
Away from the octagon for a while, ‘Borz’ finally made a victorious return at UFC 272 as he submitted Li Jingliang in round one. In his next two fights in the promotion, Chimaev faced Gilbert Burns and Kevin Holland. Despite ‘Borz’ having his struggles against Burns at UFC 273, he walked out victorious by scoring an unanimous decision victory. However, against Holland at UFC 279, Chimaev had an easier time as he dominated and won via submission in round one.
Also Read: Is Khamzat Chimaev related to Khabib Nurmagomdev?
Khamzat Chimaev’s dominance in the octagon is helping the fighter build fans while also inching closer to a title shot. Do you think Khamzat Chimaev will win UFC gold? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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