Khamzat Chimaev has revealed the real reason behind his initial tension with former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. In a recent interview, the Chechen-born fighter revealed that the tension between the two stemmed from a misunderstanding and a desire to establish his identity in the MMA world.
Khamzat Chimaev’s meteoric rise in the UFC saw him quickly draw comparisons to Nurmagomedov, with many labeling him as the ‘Khabib 2.0’ due to their similar fighting styles and cultural backgrounds.
A turning point came in May 2021 when Chechen Republic leader Ramzan Kadyrov challenged Nurmagomedov to fight in his promotion, Absolute Championship Akhmat. Chimaev responded to Kadyrov’s invitation by suggesting that he could “smash” Nurmagomedov if the former champion were to accept the challenge.
Now, years later, Chimaev has admitted that his comment was a mistake made in the heat of the moment. In an interview posted by Red Corner MMA, he explained that he was simply reacting to the comparisons being made between him and Nurmagomedov and that he never intended to challenge the former champion to a fight.
He said:
“I just broke into the UFC [and]…they started comparing me with Khabib and other fighters. With Adlan Amagov, in particular. Of course, when you achieve some good results, they say saying ‘oh, he’s is like Khabib or Adlan Amagov…’ But everyone has their own achievement. I’ve got mine, Khabib and Adlan has got theirs…every fighter wants to create his own legacy.”
‘Borz’ added:
“SO it doesn’t feel good to be compared to anybody else. I just got triggered as someone said that Khabib would smash me, so I responded to that dude. Although I should have not done it. I said, ‘Ok, if Khaib wants to smash me, I am ready to smash him’ and they just hyped that up.”
Chimaev went on to express his respect for Nurmagomedov, calling him a “decent man” and a “class act.” He also revealed that he had attempted to reach out to Nurmagomedov to clear up any misunderstanding but had been unsuccessful.
Check out Khamzat Chimaev’s comments below: