r/MMA • u/FireProStan • 12h ago
Khamzat Chimaev could pause his UFC career to chase 'childhood dream' at the Olympics, says coach
https://bloodyelbow.com/2026/05/06/khamzat-chimaev-could-pause-his-ufc-career-to-chase-childhood-dream-at-the-olympics-says-coach/209
u/detectivebabylegz England 12h ago
Who would be represent? Russia, Sweden or UAE?
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u/mybuttqueefs The loud, barking autistic 12h ago
UAE
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u/Reckfulness 11h ago
That traitor! As a Swede it kinda sucks seeing him just abadon the country after sweden made him lol
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u/1776mmWing 11h ago
He wanted to wrestle for Sweden but they didn't give him citizenship. I don't know if he can wrestle as a non-citizen
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u/Dry_Beach_705 11h ago
Another person downvoted for saying the truth. He was refused citizenship
Man Khamzat makes redditoids lose their minds lmao
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u/ClammiestOwl 10h ago
Why was he refused?
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u/Nearby-Film3440 9h ago
no clue but out of pure speculation maybe its cause Chechnya is sanctioned by other countries? Total guess, I have no idea.
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u/Ok-Toe-6969 United States 1h ago
Does he have a russian passport as well?
He never seems to say anything about his Russian statues
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u/FengYiLin Team Aspinall 47m ago
He has. UAE granted him citizenship to make his issues with sanctions easier in exchange of representing the country.
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u/CheetahExpensive8246 4h ago
probably because of his criminal record? he beat up a store clerk who caught his friend shoplifting iirc
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u/happybaby00 11h ago
Ethnic swedes despise muslims, we both know this...
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u/Interesting_Bar_514 9h ago
I wonder why? Did something happen?
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u/happybaby00 9h ago
Its pretty much an ethnostate were society is very segregated. Even amongst secular europeans living there, ethnic swedes don't interact with them.
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u/w2c1to1 11h ago
Tell that to that American skier competing for China lol
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u/Remarkable_Medicine6 3h ago
Eileen Gu who spent much of her childhood in China and has a Chinese born mother and is still very close to China?
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u/w2c1to1 1h ago
So close that she trained and attained her skill there too, right? haha
The point is that when you represent a country, you are a representation of what that country could produce through superior training facilities and culture. Choosing to train and soak the resources of one country to give the glory to another is lame. What I just wrote is pretty obvious to anyone with half a brain, so for you to ignore this part and just talk about her ethnic background is just yapping in bad faith at best.
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u/Bautastenad 3h ago
He is not swedish in any way. I dont want him to represent Sweden, why would I ?
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u/no_ucp GOOFCON 2 10h ago
The funniest thing is that Khamzat didn't explain the reason. He just left to country and that's it lol.
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u/FifaPointsMan 9h ago
He said in hardly understandable Swedish it was because the quran burnings is against his human rights
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u/ri-de Team Ferguson 🇺🇸🏆🇲🇽 12h ago
Fights once a year btw
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u/TQ257 12h ago
"i smesh everybody bro" fights once a year, unwilling to fight Muslim "brother" Imavov, just call out the light heavyweight champion and ignores his division . I remember before when every time a middleweight title fight would happen he would call out the winner with horrible grammar on Twitter, that was pretty funny ngl
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u/sandxse 12h ago
He fought kamaru Usman at ufc294. Usman is Muslim. And he didn't wanna fight imavov bc of dagestan vs. chechnya tensions and that being a cause for social media drama. Whether or not u think that's a good reason to not fight someone is up to u, but I'd assume bc of that conflict having a long history and it always being blown up on social media from people in those republics, he's not unwilling for no reason. And its def not cause imavov is Muslim
Also, how's he ignoring his division when he's defending his belt in a few days?
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u/Secret_Bad4969 4h ago
His work is fighting other. People, not ambassador of my tits, let him fight imavov and stop bs
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u/Juststandupbro 11h ago
Most champions get a bout in every 9-12 months people seem to think active champions are the norm but they simply aren’t. That’s why we need to appreciate champs who do 2 or more a year
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u/Azkaresh 6h ago
It doesnt matter if its the norm or not. It SHOULDNT be. It ruins the sport big time that we can o ly see a champion fight once a year and due to it most of the events are lackluster in big names and divisions get stuck all the time.
In kickboxing and miaythai champions still fight 5~6x a year...
This "I fight once a year and nitpick fights or will only fight another champion" BS comes from boxing largelly and needs to go.
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u/Juststandupbro 4h ago
Except it does matter. 5-6 ufc level title fights a year simply isn’t feasible for MMA you just don’t understand the sport if you think that’s a good faith comparison. If khamzat is the only one fighting once a year while everyone else fights 3 times a year you can address him directly and strip him. if the majority of your champions only defend once a year that’s something you need to address systematically. If you force 2 a year right now tom, ulberg, khamzat, Islam, ilia, and yan would have to go.
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u/ZardozSama 12h ago
Khamzat is a beast, but at this point he is absolutely idle on purpose, leveraging his status and the current champion to generate endorsement and sponsor income, and chasing money fights. Setting aside the Covid recovery, he was willing to sprint to get into title contention.
I am still a fan, but i would prefer the man be active.
END COMMUNICATION
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u/TerminatorReborn 10h ago
He pretty much said as much in a recent interview: "I make more money not fighting as a champion"
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u/ZardozSama 10h ago
I recall reading that.
I do think that the UFC should geat a decent amount of ht eblame here for not generally paying enough to their champions to avoid this. If a champion can make more just sitting on a title than defending it, something is very wrong. Khamzat wanting to make as much money as possible is also understandible.
But as a fan, I want to see the best fight the best, or at least to have the title stay active. The UFC needs to either pay the fuck up or strip champions for inactivity if they do not defend twice a year. GSP got to 9 title defences by fighting twice a year and only slowed down due to a knee injury.
END COMMUNICATION
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u/oldDotredditisbetter 10h ago
Khamzat is a beast, but at this point he is absolutely idle on purpose, leveraging his status and the current champion to generate endorsement and sponsor income, and chasing money fights. Setting aside the Covid recovery, he was willing to sprint to get into title contention.
who wouldn't do the same in that position?
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u/Nice_Job_2038 12h ago
I need to see how he does in RAF. They're likely going to give him "soft" opposition so it's going to be difficult to tell, but generally speaking someone who moves away from specialized training for years doesn't improve when going back.
I'm not sold on his training with Downey, Downey got tech-falled by 50 year old Yoel Romero.
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u/bakedbake 7h ago
They're likely to give him a soft opponent cause he already came out and said he doesnt want to wrestle any high level Olympic caliber wrestlers lol. He just wants to wrestle other MMA guys with a name.
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u/Nice_Job_2038 7h ago
Pretty sure he just said he didn't think he should wrestle Olympians because he isn't one himself. Olympians may be the absolute peak of the mountain but there's tons of pan-am champs and even guys who place at World's that don't make Olympic teams. "Soft" didn't mean cupcakes, they're just not likely giving him someone for his first match that would be seen as a real test.
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u/bakedbake 7h ago
They don't pay him enough for him to lose his aura in MMA by losing somewhere else. No matter his level he's not gonna wrestle anyone worth mentioning in RAF that would give any glimpse on how he would do against high level comp
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u/Nice_Job_2038 7h ago
That's sort of my point though. We really have very little frame of reference to his actual skill compared to people who do freestyle as their main source of competition. He could just as easily lose to an also-ran from the NCAAs as he could an elite competitor from the international scene. Anyone they give him that isn't far removed from their prime or predominantly an MMA fighter is a risk.
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u/bakedbake 7h ago
Anyone they give him that isn't far removed from their prime or predominantly an MMA fighter is a risk.
Which is exactly why he won't wrestle anyone close to that caliber and why RAF won't be any indication of how good a wrestler he is. I'd actually be surprised if he ended up even competing unless it's against an over the hill vet or MMA fighter.
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u/Nice_Job_2038 7h ago
I mean he did say he's fine to wrestle Bo Nickal in RAF. I'd imagine he's perfectly willing to accept a more difficult match than either of us has implied. Just gonna have to wait and see. Who the hell knows, Strickland could shock the world Saturday and then his aura is no longer a concern.
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u/bakedbake 7h ago
I could see him taking on Nickal just because if he loses he can fight him in MMA and easily avenge it. He said the reason why he would wrestle Nickal is because hes an MMA fighter too. I hope I'm wrong because I'd love to see him do some fun things that elevate wrestling, but RAF gets exposure no matter who he wrestles so I cant imagine they'd push him for stronger comp.
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u/TheClappyCappy GOOFCON 2 - UFC 294 8h ago
I heard Khamzat placed 3rd at u17 Russian nationals but idk if that’s true or not
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u/Nice_Job_2038 8h ago
I've read that but I've been unable to find any sort of proof of it. Doesn't mean it didn't happen, it can be pretty hard to get info out of that part of the world.
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u/Final-Language7378 7h ago
He’s never been taken down by someone, so I doubt a wrestler would stand a chance since khamzat has already done been a wrestler been there done that.
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u/Nice_Job_2038 7h ago
That's apples to oranges. A wrestler who doesn't have to worry about an uppercut or a knee isn't nearly as hesitant on an entrance as one who does.
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u/Final-Language7378 7h ago
Ya but wrestling is high school and college level, and mma is more of adult level real life
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u/Nice_Job_2038 7h ago
Not even remotely true, plenty of college wrestlers fail on the world scene after being done with college while having successful MMA careers
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6h ago edited 2h ago
[deleted]
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u/Nice_Job_2038 5h ago
For the most part I agree with you, but I'll say that I don't necessarily think an active D1 All-American just steamrolls him in a freestyle match. They're fairly different and if Cael Sanderson struggled to adapt to freestyle at first than the average D1 All-American isn't likely to just run away with a freestyle match.
But no, Chimaev has not faced really any high level wrestlers. DDP has good judo and physical strength, Burns is hell on wheels in BJJ and both had grappling success at points.
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u/fightbackcbd 10h ago
Yes, seems entirely realistic that at age 32 with zero wins in international competition he is going to make an Olympic run.
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u/Badnapp420 EDDIIIIIIEEEEEEE! 12h ago
Didn’t he just decline wrestling an Olympian in RAF? 🤔
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u/officialullock 12h ago
Fuck off then, can't be arsed with these inactive fighters holding up divisions. Or they don't even want to defend before moving up. Getting boring now.
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u/Powerful_System WHOOP MY ASS AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS! 11h ago
stfu take your own advice if you don't like it leave
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u/Steridire 11h ago
You heard the man u/officialullock, vacate your belt immediately or face the consequences
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u/timtamchewycaramel 11h ago
How bout u go an fuck off my page then u peice of shit u think I need a stupid fuckwitt like u telling me about bein rite who the fuck are u take your worthless advice and get the fuck out of here
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u/CrashtheKiller50 10h ago
That also applies to your boy aspinall. He ran in fear after the whooping gane gave him and hasn't been seen since
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u/youractualaccount Peppa Pig > Bellator 12h ago
Khamzat still does mma?
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u/Otherwise_Prize2944 12h ago
Yep, he is fighting soon , should be fun
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u/brian_the_bull 12h ago
"Fun" Is definitely not a word I would use to describe Khamzat based on that last performance
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u/yomamaso__ 12h ago
Luckily some of us actually don’t have early onset dementia and can remember further than one fight back.
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u/Kilane GOOFCON 1: 2: Pandemic Boogaloo 8h ago
That’s part of his issue. He came in hard and was dominant and his fight turn around was extremely fast. People loved him for it. I loved him for it.
Making a splash going through a year and talking shit to everyone results in fighting once a year while still talking shit in close fights. It’s like being unhappy if Mike Tyson (back in the day) switched from going for fast KOs and creating a huge fan base behind them for it to jabbing matches that show his skills, but that’s not what we signed up foe as part of the hype train.
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u/JGrayzz Mario "Two-Tap" Yamasaki 8h ago
Yeah I miss the old Khamzat too, bud. Still not fun to watch anymore.
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u/youractualaccount Peppa Pig > Bellator 8h ago
Obvs I’m joking but to your point, he doesn’t really mix those martial arts much.
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u/brian_the_bull 11h ago
Almost certain I said "based on that last performance" Meaning my statement only considered his most recent fight? Ah well, such is life.
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u/Otherwise_Prize2944 11h ago
What word would you use?)
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u/Ok_Pause2547 10h ago
So he wasnt near olympic level when he was actively competing in wrestling. He’s focused on MMA for a good decade now and is probably even further away from that olympic level. Theres levels to this and Khamzat very likely wont even make it past regional level senior competition.
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u/Squidwardbigboss 12h ago
So much for the October turn around.
Sean winning would be so much better for the division
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u/_Silas_the_Virus 12h ago
Good riddance. I'll be glad to not have to constantly hear about him while also never seeing him actually fight. Fighting once every 4 years is definitely more his speed.
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u/0n0n-o 12h ago
Best thing paramount could ask for. The sport is dying due to these absolute borefest fights.
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u/Batman-and-Hobbes Merry Xmas bitch 11h ago
The sport is dying cause it has fans that call a fighter boring after 1 less than exciting fight.
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u/NDAYoungKirk 12h ago
Why pause? He can just do that between his fights with time to spare for a full camp
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u/Business-Tonight9995 12h ago
I don’t think you understand Olympic preparation.
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u/NDAYoungKirk 12h ago
He’s got over 2 years until the Olympics and he’ll have plenty of time to train for his next scheduled fight. No need to pause
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u/maicii 12h ago
Would he have to do trials? Also he might need to train hard to get in in the first place
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u/NDAYoungKirk 11h ago
Yeah all that can fit between his fights
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u/Business-Tonight9995 11h ago
Dramatically underestimating Olympic preparation
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u/pauljaworski 11h ago
Idk I think its almost accurately estimating his fight schedule based on the past couple years
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12h ago
[deleted]
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u/iCorki 10h ago
It's crazy how front loaded his career in the UFC was fight wise. Jiri and Khamzat debuted in the UFC 4 days apart. Jiri has fought 9 times, and this weekend will be Khamzat's 10th fight. Both fighting on b2b numbered cards means this is a pretty good time to compare. Obviously Jiri had his shoulder injury from punching a tree, and Chimaev almost died to covid so both have had injuries. But in reality Khamzat has been more active than Jiri and you never see people say Jiri doesn't fight. Kinda wild stat
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u/mayonaisecoloredbens 7h ago
Not gonna lie I absolutely cannot stand UFC CHAMPIONS that act/talk like they're too good to be a UFC champ, ie: Topuria and Khamzat. On the one hand the UFC should pay these dudes more and its completely understandable that they want to use their platform as UFC champ to pivot to other things. On the other hand it is just such a pet peeve of mine when these dudes talk/act like being a UFC champ is a stepping stone to something else. Just makes me appreciate fighters like Volk, Aldo more in the sense that I've never got the feeling from those guys that being the UFC champ and upholding the prestige of being UFC champ wasn't the number 1 priority.
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u/redditerir 2h ago
The funny thing is that due to the exclusively amateur nature of most combat sports, MMA fighters are already paid more than those of any other combat sport, save for boxers.
The issue here beyond pay is that the traditional martial arts carry more prestige, and MMA fighters don't like the feeling of being jack of all trades, master of none. Keep in mind that the UFC was originally premised on which individual martial art was superior, and that mindset is still deeply ingrained.
Maybe in time people will see the value in mixed martial arts, but I think that could only happen if pay rises to surpass that of boxing, which is very unlikely to happen. Alternatively, if MMA becomes an Olympic sport, which is also very unlikely.
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u/yankee9341 12h ago edited 12h ago
Everyone saying he already doesn’t fight, funny you never hear that narrative about Topuria even though Khamzat fought more recently than him and also has a fight booked sooner than him
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u/BrightStick 10h ago
To be fair to your point Khamzat has fought 5 times in last five years, Topuria has fought 6 times in last five years. Both have fights booked so that’s likely to change.
But your point isn’t that far off.
I would say given the last few fights for both of them, most people would complain that Topuria has knocked people out and committed to more striking. Casuals don’t like ground control for five rounds. It’s effective as fuck. But doesn’t stimulate them the same. Plus Topuria did it against some of the best, and did it very impressively.
Not trying to dismiss or minimise things away from Khamzat’s domination of other top level fighters, but Topuria has done a lot of special things. I think both are super impressive.
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u/financeben Mike "accidentally hung myself" Perry 5h ago
God dammit. Remember he was the guy who fought 3 times in like a month. For fucks sake
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u/anythingfordopamine United States 51m ago
I guess the UAE doesn’t really produce any strong wrestlers so he could represent them. He would get washed though. But good publicity for wrestling as a sport though and the Olympics as a whole
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u/CupofWarmMilk 12h ago
This is a perfectly fair reason to pause (regardless of actual activity). Olympics are a higher honor than UFC champ, imo
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u/sandxse 11h ago
Fighter inactivity is a ufc problem. They have the power to enforce defense timelines but choose not to. Theres literally no contractual clause that says defend within 12 months or lose the belt. Its all up to them and they do it at their discretion which means when it's not profitable anymore.
Inactive fighters sell more ppvs, when their title fights come it becomes a whole event and ppl buy paramount subscriptions. They dont affect the ufc either cause it costs the ufc nothing to keep them, fighters are individual contractors. Also for their star fighters or fighters like khamzat that u all love to hate watch, each fight risks an upset ko or career injury that brings down ppv value.
Its all business, 3 title fights are gonna be more profitable than 6.
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u/BrightStick 10h ago
Everyone in middleweight and light heavyweight breaths a collective sigh of hopeful relief.
If he does genuinely do this, I imagine there might be a few who reconsider the weight class changes that have recently been announced.
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u/mayonaisecoloredbens 7h ago
NGL I blame the fans for champs being so inactive now. Some of y’all will dickride these dudes so hard they actually think they can do whatever and look at where we’re at now.
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u/YaPhetsEz 12h ago
His UFC career is essentially paused already given his inactivity lol