Athletes
The Secret to Khamzat Chimaev’s Success
See what Khamzat Chimaev had to say in an exclusive sit-down interview with UFC's Dan Hardy.
While a handful of athletes have had breakout performances in 2020, there was only one who became a bona fide star. Since making his debut on the UFC Fight Island 1 card on July 16, Khamzat Chimaev has gone from an unknown fighter to a division-hopping eminent force.
How did he do it?
Chimaev emerged as a budding prospect by dismantling John Phillips, outstriking “The Welsh Wrecking Machine” 43-to-2 and submitting him in the second round via D’Arce choke. Just 11 days later, Chimaev set the UFC record for the quickest turnaround victory by defeating newcomer Rhys McKee by first-round TKO on UFC Fight Island 3. Not only did Chimaev defeat McKee, but he completely dominated him, landing 68 strikes while his opponent didn’t even get on the scoreboard.
It was clear that Chimaev had become the star of UFC’s Fight Island but even though he completely outclassed Phillips and McKee, many still questioned if he was ready to compete with the UFC’s best.
On September 19, Chimaev moved up to middleweight to face respected UFC veteran Gerald Meerschaert at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas. It was Chimaev’s opportunity to beat a well-known opponent with six UFC wins under his belt. And boy did “Borz” deliver.
Chimaev needed just 17 seconds and one punch to knock Meerschaert out, and just like that, he proved that he is the real deal. Those three stellar performances and Chimaev’s “fight anyone at any time” attitude launched the 26-year-old Swede into the limelight.
The instant stardom would be overwhelming for many, but if you ask the undefeated Chimaev, it’s what he’s always expected.
“When I started MMA, I was always thinking I was going to be champion in the UFC but now it’s going so crazy fast,” Chimaev told UFC veteran and analyst Dan Hardy in a sit-down interview. “I was thinking it was going to be like that always.”
Chimaev got his start in combat sports as a freestyle wrestler with aspirations to be a world champion, but due to passport issues he wasn’t able to compete at worlds. When he watched the legendary Fedor Emelianenko get suplexed by Kevin Randleman in an old PRIDE fight, Chimaev knew it was time to look into MMA.
And after his first time at an MMA practice, he was hooked.
“I was there the first day and there was sparring and I was there and I liked that. I thought to myself, ‘I want to do this s***,’” Chimaev said to Hardy, who promptly asked if he liked MMA more than wrestling. Chimaev’s responded quickly with a smile. “Yes, because I couldn’t punch somebody. I was always [wishing] in wrestling that I could do something more. I would win my match but not like I wanted. I always felt like that and when I came into MMA and competed, I finished my first fight in 30 seconds or so I don’t remember, an amateur fight. I won that fight and I won it like that.”
So What's Next For Chimaev?
Since then Chimaev has been an unstoppable force, finishing each of his opponents on his way to a 9-0 slate. Yet now that he’s on the map, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for Chimaev to get a fight on the books.
“I said to (UFC President) Dana White it doesn’t matter to me, I’m going to fight everybody. But now they have a hard time trying to find an opponent,” the soft-spoken Chimaev told Hardy. “I’m born for fighting; I always feel like that. I like to see movies like when in the war or history, like Vikings or something like that. I feel like that when I go to the cage like all the time ‘I’m going to kill somebody now and take my gold.”
Chimaev tells Hardy that fighters at both welterweight and middleweight are avoiding him and using excuses to escape meeting him in the Octagon.
“They say this guy isn’t top 5, isn’t top 10, like OK, and sometimes they say nobody knows me,” explained Chimaev. “Everybody talks about how can you say nobody knows Khamzat? I just think that everybody is scared. Everybody.”
Khamzat Chimaev delivers a 17-second KO over Gerald Meerschaert
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Khamzat Chimaev delivers a 17-second KO over Gerald Meerschaert
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There has been a laundry list of rumored opponents for Chimaev, littered with big names such as Demian Maia, Stephen Thompson, Chris Weidman and Neil Magny. The truth is that Chimaev doesn’t care about who his next fight is or where it is; he believes his destiny is to fight for titles at both welterweight and middleweight.
And he expects those fights with welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and middleweight champion Israel Adesanya to happen sooner than later.
“I think two more fights…it doesn’t matter for me. Both guys, maybe both same day, both fights we’ll see,” Chimaev told Hardy with a chuckle.
So what exactly is it that makes Chimaev the next big thing? What is the secret to his success? For Chimaev, the answer is simple. He just wants it more than anyone else.
“I see in the fight when they are fighting against me, I see how much they want it and I see how much I want it,” Chimaev said. “I’m going to smash everybody. Like I say, my future is I smash everybody. Soon I’m going to get this belt.”
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