When Khamzat Chimaev reeled off three quick wins inside the Octagon last year he didn’t just become a favourite of UFC President Dana White. The Chechnya-born Swede also drew the attention of Chechen Dictator Ramzan Kadyrov.
Though Chimaev has been out of MMA action for almost a year, due largely to a serious bout of COVID-19, he has remained in Kadyrov’s good graces. Since impressing in the UFC Chimaev has returned to Chechnya and visited with Kadryov, leading to numerous of social media posts featuring the pair.
During an Instagram live broadcast with Kadyrov, Chimaev remarked that he would ‘smash’ former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.