Khamzat Chimaev- A career timeline
It’s been a long time since a fighter has taken the game by storm the way Khamzat Chimaev has. He’s only had 4 fights in the UFC and many are already predicting him to become a UFC Champion in multiple divisions. The confidence people have in Khamzat Chimaev is based on results. Not only has he defeated every opponent he’s fought, it’s never even been close. Khamzat has finished all 10 of his fights and he’s never gone past the 2nd round. At UFC 273, Khamzat Chimaev will face the biggest challenge of his career when he takes on #2 ranked Welterweight Gilbert Burns. If Khamzat does to Burns what he’s done to everyone else, he’ll prove that he’s ready to challenge for the UFC Welterweight Championship.
Before UFC 273, let’s take a look back at the path of destruction that’s led Khamzat Chimaev to this moment.
May 26, 2018 - Khamzat makes his MMA debut
After competing in 3 successful amateur fights, Khamzat Chimaev made his professional MMA debut in May of 2018 when he fought Gard Olve Sagen at International Ring Fight Arena 14 in Uppsala, Sweden. The fight took place at a catchweight of 176 lbs. Khamzat showed a wide range of skills as he dominated the fight in every area. He dropped Sagen with a jab then proceeded to finish him by TKO on the floor. Khamzat Chimaev had arrived.
August 18, 2018 - Khamzat earns his first submission win
Less than 3 months after making his professional MMA debut, Khamzat Chimaev returned to the cage to fight Ole Magnor. This was Khamzat’s official Middleweight debut and his final fight in his adopted home country of Sweden. You could see how confident Khamzat was in his abilities on the ground in this fight. After taking Magnor’s back, Khamzat casually adjusted his mouthguard before choking Magnor unconscious. In his post-fight speech, Khamzat grabbed the mic and let his intentions be known that he would one day be fighting in the UFC.
November 16, 2018 - Khamzat makes his Brave CF debut
After 2 professional fights, Khamzat Chimaev made his Brave CF debut in Manama, Bahrain. This was the final promotion that Khamzat competed in before entering the UFC. This fight took place against Marko Kisič in what was Khamzat’s Welterweight debut. It was another dominant performance by Khamzat who took Kisič to the floor and finished him with vicious hammer fists.
December 22, 2018 - Khamzat competes in India
Just 36 days after making his Welterweight debut against Marko Kisič, Khamzat travelled to Hyderabad, India to compete against Sidney Wheeler in a Middleweight bout. This was Khamzat’s 4th professional fight and every one of these fights ended faster than the previous one. It took Khamzat just 35 seconds to finish Wheeler by TKO. Immediately after the fight was stopped, Khamzat signalled that he wanted to compete for a Championship. At the end of this fight, it was clear that Khamzat Chimaev was one of the most promising prospects in the sport. This fight wrapped up an incredible 2018 for Khamzat in which he made his professional debut and won a total of 4 fights in 7 months, all by stoppage.
April 19, 2019 - Khamzat shows he’s more than a grappler
In his first 4 professional fights, Khamzat Chimaev finished all of his opponents on the floor. Many considered him a vicious grappler, but Khamzat knew that he was much more than that. Khamzat trained at the Allstar Training Center in Stockholm, Sweden which produced strikers like Alexander Gustafsson. Khamzat was skilled on the feet as well and he showed that in his 5th professional fight against Ikram Aliskerov. Khamzat finished Aliskerov with a beautifully executed uppercut that knocked Aliskerov out.
October 4, 2019 - Khamzat competes in his final fight with Brave CF
After 3 stoppage wins in Brace CF, Khamzat would compete in his final with the promotion against Mzwandile Hlongwa. The fight took place in Abu Dhabi which would eventually become a familiar spot for Khamzat. As soon as the 2nd round began, Khamzat picked up Hlongwa on one side of the cage, then walked towards the other side and slammed him to the floor. He made it look easy. Khamzat went on to choke Hlongwa unconscious with a D’Arce choke. This was Khamzat’s final fight before entering the UFC.
July 16, 2020 - Khamzat makes his UFC debut
After dominating the competition on the regional scene, Khamzat Chimaev got the call to compete for the UFC. He dominated everyone, but how would Khamzat do in the world’s biggest promotion? Khamzat answered those questions quickly as he picked up right where he left off. He destroyed John Phillips in his UFC debut. The 1st round was so dominant, that one of the judges scored it a 10-7 for Khamzat. Khamzat finished the fight in the 2nd round by submitting Phillips with a D’Arce choke. This performance earned Khamzat performance of the night honors. It was in his post-fight speech when Khamzat put the fight game on notice. He said he was ready to fight anyone at any weight class. He showed this was more than just talk 10 days later.
July 26, 2020 - Khamzat breaks a UFC record
Khamzat Chimaev walked away from his UFC debut unscathed. When he said he’d fight anyone at any time, he was being serious. Just 10 days after his UFC debut, Khamzat returned to the Octagon to fight Rhys McKee. His UFC debut took place in the Middleweight division and his fight against McKee took place at Welterweight. Khamzat picked up another performance of the night bonus as he finished McKee by TKO in the 1st round. With this win, Khamzat broke the record for the quickest turnaround between UFC wins in the modern era. With 2 UFC wins in the span of 10 days, Khamzat Chimaev proved that he was going to be a problem for anyone he stepped into the cage with.
September 19, 2020 - Khamzat competes in the US for the first time
After winning back to back fights in 10 days and all eyes on him, Khamzat Chimaev would compete in the US for the first time in his career when he took on Gerald Meerschaert. This was considered a big step up in competition for Khamzat, as Meerschaert was a UFC veteran. This would end up being the easiest fight of Khamzat’s career, as he finished Meerschaert by knockout with a single punch in just 17 seconds. 3 months, 3 UFC wins, 3 stoppages, and 3 performance of the night bonuses.
October 30th, 2021 - Khamzat returns to action after a 13 month layoff
After Khamzat Chimaev finished Gerald Meerschaert, the plan was for Khamzat to continue to be active. He was scheduled to fight Leon Edwards in December of 2020, but Edwards was forced to withdraw after being infected by COVID-19. The fight was rescheduled for March of 2021, but this time Khamzat was infected by COVID-19. Khamzat’s battle with COVID was much different than Edward's. Khamzat got so sick from COVID that he was sidelined for over 1 year and even considered retiring. He would eventually make his return at UFC 267 against Li Jingliang for a Welterweight fight. Jingliang was undoubtedly the biggest test for Khamzat, as he was coming off of a knockout win against Santiago Ponzinibbio. However, like he’s done in every fight, Khamzat made it look easy. He picked up Jingliang and walked over to Dana White then slammed him to the ground while still talking with Dana. He put Jingliang to sleep with a rear-naked choke. Khamzat was back and Khamzat looked better than ever.
April 9th, 2022 - To be determined
Khamzat Chimaev will be taking a massive step up in competition at UFC 273 when he takes on #2 ranked Welterweight and former title challenger Gilbert Burns. Burns is a World Champion Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner and has knockout power. If Khamzat Chimaev passes this test, there’s no more denying him. He’ll solidify himself as one of the best fighters in the world and will likely earn a title shot. Will he do it? We’ll find out soon.
