The man who says “kill everybody” and means it. This Saturday at UFC 319 in Chicago, he steps into the cage again, hunting the middleweight crown. His target? Reigning champion Dricus Du Plessis — the next name on his kill list.

Let’s trace the predator’s footsteps… and see Khamzat Chimaev’s journey to earned the shot.

🐺 Roots of a Predator

Gvardeyskoye, Chechnya — land of towering mountains, ancient bloodlines, and scars carved by endless war. Here, strength is the only currency that counts.

From this unforgiving soil came Khamzat Chimaev. Born May 1, 1994, the youngest of his siblings, he learned to watch, listen, and endure. The playground was dust and rubble, the lessons written in hardship. Fighting in here wasn’t just a sport — it was all survival.

At two years old, he fell headfirst on concrete stairs, leaving a scar slashed across his lip and a nostril that never fully worked again. That jagged mark became his signature — a permanent reminder of pain.

He began wrestling at just five years old in the village. In 2013, he left Chechnya for Sweden to join his brother, but never acquired Swedish citizenship, and also never gave up his Russian. Life there was humble for him — a poultry factory, a security job, repeat everyday — until one day:

December 13, 2015. On a 15-minute break, Khamzat saw Conor McGregor knock out José Aldo in 13 seconds. In that moment, something clicked. The killer instinct woke up.

🐺 The Birth of Borz

A cold December 2015 night in Sweden. On a short 15-minute break from factory duty, Khamzat Chimaev’s eyes locked on a TV screen — an iconic 13 seconds, Conor McGregor folding José Aldo. Something inside him clicked. A sleeping wolf woke.

Two years later, he walked into the Allstars Training Center in Stockholm — a gym crawling with UFC vets like Alexander Gustafsson, Ilir Latifi, and Reza Madadi. Here, the Chechnya kid with the scarred lip and the quiet rage began his real hunt.

By 2017, the amateur fights started. Three men shared the cage with him (not simultaneously). Three men were smashed. No scorecards. No mercy.

When he went pro, he tore through Sweden, then found a new hunting ground with Brave Combat Federation in the Middle East.

July 2020 — Khamzat Chimaev stormed into the UFC, devouring two opponents within ten days, breaking records and sending a message: the wolf has crossed the border.

Now, August 17, 2025, UFC 319 — he faces Du Plessis for the middleweight crown. For Chimaev, this is not just a title fight. It’s the hunt he’s been sharpening his teeth for since the mountains of Chechnya.

🐺 Wrestling, But Make It MMA

Khamzat doesn’t fight you — he hunts you down.

His base is elite freestyle wrestling: chain takedowns that drag you into deep water, top pressure that feels like you’re sinking, and control so suffocating it’s been compared to Khabib Nurmagomedov wrestling style.

But the fangs? They’re hidden in his hands. Just ask Gerald Meerschaert, who fell in 17 seconds from a single right hand — a clean kill at an UFC Fight Night.

The nightmare is, you know what Borz will do… yet you can’t stop it. You can only pray to survive the first round. Many didn’t. John Phillips, Rhys McKee, Li Jingliang, Kevin Holland, Robert Whittaker — none landed a single clean strike before being devoured.

Even elite wrestlers and grapplers like Gilbert Burns and Kamaru Usman — the latter with one of the highest takedown defenses in UFC history — couldn’t escape the hunt. Yes, Khamzat can’t finish them, but… Against Usman, Borz toyed with him in round one, like a wolf testing its prey. The only reason Usman saw round two? He was just tough enough not to break. Tell me another fighter who did the same to The Nigerian Nightmare like that? No one.

🐺 Torn Between Flags

Born in Russia. Forged skills in Sweden. Allied with the UAE.

Khamzat Chimaev never bent to one flag. His passport say “Russia“, his training may blend in “Sweden“, but his identity is pure Chechnya — loyalty, pride, and the code of the mountain wolves.

In 2025, he finally acquired the UAE passport, drawn by its fight culture and training environment, yet his roots remain in Grozny’s soil.

🐺 More Than Just an Athlete

Chimaev’s connection to Chechnya leader Ramzan Kadyrov has pulled him into political shadows. Critics talk. Fighters like Sean Strickland mock. But Khamzat doesn’t care. Wolves don’t explain themselves to sheep.

He’s battled more than just opponents — COVID-19 nearly ended his career in 2020. Canceled fights, visa problems, injuries — they all tried to slow him down. They failed.

Now, with a perfect record in his grasp and a title shot in his sights, Khamzat “Borz” Chimaev wait for his moment to shine this Saturday’s night August 16th. He isn’t just chasing gold. He want to chase legacy.

👉🏻 What’s the moment you like the most when you saw him fighting? Drop in the comment below and we will talk.
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Until next time!

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