Khamzat Chimaev

Khamzat Khizarovich Chimaev (; ; born 1 May 1994) is a Russian professional mixed martial artist and freestyle wrestler who competes in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) representing the UAE and formerly Sweden. In freestyle wrestling, Chimaev is a three-time Swedish National champion. As of 24 October 2023, he is #9 in the UFC middleweight rankings. Early life and education Chimaev was born as Khamzat Khizarovich Girikhanov in the village of Gvardeyskoye in today's Chechnya, Russia, which at that time was the de facto independent Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, where he started wrestling when he was five years old. It has been reported he won a bronze medal at the Russian National Championships in the junior level. In 2013, when he was 18, he emigrated to Sweden with his mother, joining his older brother. Wrestling career After moving to Sweden, Chimaev wrestled at multiple clubs, including BK Athén. Considered one of the best freestyle wrestlers in the country, Chimaev won a gold medal at the 2016 and 2017 Swedish Freestyle National Championships at 86 kilograms, and in 2018 he did so at 92 kilograms. Chimaev has had a series of dominant performances in the tournament, posting an overall record of 12–0, which includes three pins, seven technical falls and holds a combined score of 105 points, while only surrendering two himself, across all of his three showdowns. Chimaev has competed in a few judo tournaments and in four combat sambo fights. Chimaev competed against fellow UFC contender Jack Hermansson in a freestyle wrestling match on 19 November 2021, at Sweden-based Bulldog Fight Night 9, winning on points.