Khamzat Khizarovich Chimaev was born on 1 May 1994 in Gvardeyskoye, Chechen Republic, Russia to a poor and conservative Muslim Chechen family. He started wrestling at the age of five in the village of Gvardeyskoye. In 2013, when he was 18, he emigrated to Sweden with his mother, joining his older brother.
๐ฅ Wrestling Achievements
Chimaev is a three-time Swedish national champion in freestyle wrestling. He won gold at the 2016 and 2017 Swedish Freestyle National Championships at 86 kilograms, and in 2018 at 92 kilograms. He posted an overall record of 12โ0 across the three tournaments, outscoring opponents 105-2.
๐ฅ Early Combat Sports
In addition to wrestling, Chimaev has competed in several judo tournaments and in four combat sambo fights. He competed against Jack Hermansson in a freestyle wrestling match on 19 November 2021, winning on points. On 18 April 2026, it was announced that Chimaev had signed with Real American Freestyle.
๐ฅ MMA Beginnings
Chimaev first started training in MMA when he was 23 years old at Allstars Training Center in Stockholm. He was inspired to start training during a night at work where he took a 15-minute break to watch the Aldo vs. McGregor main event. Between September 2017 and April 2018, he had three amateur MMA fights, completing his amateur career with a record of 3โ0.
โ๏ธ Professional MMA Career
Chimaev turned professional on 26 May 2018, winning via technical knockout. He signed with Brave Combat Federation and won his first four promotional fights, earning Brave’s Knockout of the Night award. He made his UFC debut on 16 July 2020 against John Phillips, winning via submission and earning Performance of the Night.
๐ UFC Records and Fights
Chimaev set a record for the fastest consecutive wins in modern UFC history (ten days). He won his first three UFC fights in 66 days, the fastest three-fight winning streak in modern UFC history. He faced Gilbert Burns at UFC 273, winning via unanimous decision, his first decision victory.
๐ Title and Championship
Chimaev faced Dricus du Plessis for the UFC Middleweight Championship on 16 August 2025 at UFC 319, winning the title via unanimous decision. He made his first title defense against Sean Strickland at UFC 328 on 9 May 2026, losing the title via split decision, his first loss in MMA.
๐๏ธ Training and Fighting Style
Chimaev trains at Allstar Training Center in Stockholm alongside Alexander Gustafsson, Ilir Latifi, and Reza Madadi. He trains up to five times a day on the peak of training camps. He often utilizes his freestyle wrestling to get opponents to the ground and employs ground-and-pound or submissions.
| Category | Detail | Date/Event | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birth | Born in Gvardeyskoye, Chechen Republic, Russia | 1 May 1994 | N/A |
| Wrestling | Three-time Swedish national champion | 2016, 2017, 2018 | Gold medals |
| UFC Debut | vs. John Phillips | 16 July 2020 | Win via submission |
| Title Win | vs. Dricus du Plessis for UFC Middleweight Championship | 16 August 2025 | Win via unanimous decision |