Where Is Khamzat Chimaev From? Nationality, Ethnicity, and Religion

Is he Chechen? Russian? Emirati? Swedish? Questions about Khamzat Chimaev’s nationality and ethnicity have puzzled fans over the last few years. This week, they take the spotlight more than ever as the middleweight phenom gears up for his long-awaited title shot.

So, before Khamzat Chimaev steps into the Octagon at UFC 319 to challenge Dricus Du Plessis for the middleweight crown, we take a look at his story of shifting countries, changing flags, and surviving a childhood marked by war. Who exactly is Khamzat Chimaev? Where does he call home? And how did his earliest years in Chechnya shape the fighter he’s become?

What is Khamzat Chimaev’s ethnicity, nationality, and religion?

There’s been plenty of confusion over where Chimaev’s from. Born May 1, 1994, in Gvardeyskoye, Chechnya, he’s ethnically Chechen. But that’s only the beginning. He’s represented Sweden in MMA, yet never held a Swedish passport. Today, he’s a Russian citizen who fights under the UAE banner.

Khamzat Chimaev was already on the wrestling mat when he was just five. At eighteen, he left Chechnya for Sweden to join his mother and older brother, diving into the local wrestling scene. He trained under Swedish MMA legend Alexander Gustafsson early in his career. Naturally, fans assumed he had embraced Sweden as his home. But did he ever?

In a past interview, he explained, “Russia is my motherland, and I represent the UAE. They always help me when I have fights. I’ve never had a Swedish passport, people thought I had a Swedish passport, and I just left. I had residency there. I never had a passport there. People say I abandoned Sweden, I didn’t.”

Chimaev is a devout Muslim and, in the past, has refused to fight during the month of Ramadan. Ahead of UFC 300, he even turned down a fight because “I will fight everybody. Leon [Edwards], [Dricus] du Plessis, anyone, but not [during] Ramadan. I think Ramadan [is during] UFC 300. Maybe somebody in Saudi Arabia. I want to fight there. Not fighting in Ramadan anymore.”

So, it’s clear that ‘Borz’ is proud of his roots, clear on his flag, and unwilling to change his citizenship for any other. But where does he live at the moment?

Where does Khamzat Chimaev live now?

Nationality isn’t a simple box to tick for Chimaev. His life has been a series of moves dictated by opportunity, family, and survival. He was born when Chechnya was still part of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria before it fell fully under Russian control.

As mentioned earlier, he moved to Sweden after one of his brothers found work there. That’s where he rose to prominence in wrestling, winning a Swedish national title. But through it all, his travel documents remained Russian.

Then came Dubai. In 2023, rumors spread that he had gained UAE citizenship. The truth? According to the man himself, “No, i just got a residence permit for 10 years or so….I don’t want to change my Russian citizenship for any other. I could’ve stayed in Sweden….But I am cool with my Russian citizenship.”

For now, Dubai is reportedly his training base. Russia is still home. And Sweden? A chapter in his past, as we will see when we take a look at his early life and origins, from turmoil to superstardom!

More about Khamzat Chimaev’s early life and time in Chechnya

If you want to understand Khamzat Chimaev’s mindset, you have to start with Chechnya. And not just the location, the time period. Chimaev’s hometown, during his childhood, was war-torn, making life difficult for him and his family. Moreover, there were times when they had to sleep in hunger. 

“I grew up in my religion, some small village, like yeah. It was a tough time when I was young. I remember that stuff as was after the war. I come to this world when it’s world war and yeah, it was a hard time without food,” Chimaev once told ESPN.

He’d express his disgust regarding the experience of witnessing wars, claiming that he doesn’t want to “see this again.” As he grew up and started loving MMA, he decided that training in his hometown would not work, and hence made a move to Europe.

Chimaev is now an Emirati athlete. Now, he has no problems with Sweden or the people of that country. The reason he decided to move was that he wasn’t very happy with the weather out there. ‘Borz’ claims that he had to spend nine months without having a glimpse of the sun, which he believes is essential for any person. Hence, the jump to Dubai.

“I moved to Dubai because the training facilities are great, but also because I just can’t survive in nine months of darkness. I need sun. Warmth. Stockholm is always home, but I get seasonal depression every single year. Dubai is my town for now,” Khamzat Chimaev told ‘Esquire Middle East’. In fact, it wasn’t just ‘Borz’ who moved to Dubai, his team also set up shop in the Gulf Tiger.

Now at UFC 319, Khamzat Chimaev will once again carry that history into the cage, the Chechen roots, the Russian flag, the memories of a war-torn youth, and the choice to keep his personal identity untouched by shifting borders.