Khamzat Chimaev

Khamzat Khizarovich Chimaev was born on May 1, 1994, in Gvardeyskoye, Chechen Republic, Russia. His early life involved beginning wrestling at the age of five. He later emigrated to Sweden in 2013 with his mother, joining his older brother. In Sweden, Chimaev continued his wrestling career, becoming a three-time Swedish freestyle national champion in 2015, 2016, and 2018 across different weight categories. His amateur MMA career between September 2017 and April 2018 saw him achieve an undefeated record of 3-0, before transitioning to professional MMA in May 2018.

Chimaev’s professional career began with International Ring Fight Arena and Brave Combat Federation, where he rapidly built an undefeated record. He signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and made his debut in July 2020. His initial UFC run was marked by remarkable speed, setting records for the fastest consecutive wins (10 days) and fastest three-fight win streak (66 days) in modern UFC history. He secured multiple Performance of the Night bonuses during this period. After overcoming significant health challenges due to COVID-19 in late 2020 and early 2021, Chimaev made a triumphant return to the octagon in October 2021, continuing his undefeated streak.

His career progression saw him face top-ranked opponents, including a Fight of the Night performance against Gilbert Burns at UFC 273 in April 2022. In October 2024, Chimaev defeated Robert Whittaker via submission at UFC 308, earning another Performance of the Night award. A significant milestone occurred on August 16, 2025, when Khamzat Chimaev defeated Dricus du Plessis by unanimous decision at UFC 319, becoming the UFC Middleweight Champion. This made him the first Chechen-born fighter to achieve a UFC championship and the first athlete representing the United Arab Emirates to win a UFC title. He holds notable UFC records including most total strikes landed and most total ground strikes landed in a UFC fight.