Is he Chechen? Russian? Emirati? Swedish? Questions about Khamzat Chimaev’s nationality and ethnicity are intriguing. This week, they take the spotlight more than ever as the middleweight champion gears up for his long-awaited first UFC title defense.
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Before the 32-year-old steps into the Octagon at UFC 328 to face rival Sean Strickland this weekend, we take a look at his story: a journey of moving between nations, changing flags, and surviving a childhood marred by war and poverty. So…
Where is Khamzat Chimaev from, and what is his nationality?
While he’s represented Sweden in MMA, he’s never been a Swedish citizen. Today, he’s a Chechen-born Russian fighter who now represents the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
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, who was working there at the time. Right after he arrived in the European country, he dove straight into the local wrestling scene. He trained under Swedish MMA legend Alexander Gustafsson early in his career at the Allstars Training Center. Naturally, fans assumed he had embraced Sweden as his new home. But he never became a citizen there.
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“Russia is my motherland, and I represent the UAE,” he explained in an interview. “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.”
So, it’s clear that ‘Borz’ is proud of his roots, clear on his flag, and unwilling to change his citizenship for any other.
What is Khamzat Chimaev’s ethnicity?
Born May 1, 1994, in Gvardeyskoye, Chechnya, he’s ethnically Chechen. Chechens are a Northeast Caucasian ethnic group native to the North Caucasus region, primarily in the Republic of Chechnya within the Russian Federation. Historically, they fiercely resisted Russian imperial conquest in the 19th century. Today, however, Chechnya is a republic within Russia.
Is Khamzat Chimaev Christian?
Chimaev is a devout Muslim and, in the past, has refused to fight during the month of Ramadan. Before UFC 300, he even turned down a fight.
“I will fight everybody. Leon [Edwards], [Dricus] du Plessis, anyone, but not [during] Ramadan,” he admitted. “I think Ramadan [is during] UFC 300. Maybe somebody in Saudi Arabia. I want to fight there. Not fighting in Ramadan anymore.”
A small pre-Islamic Christian influence existed among the Chechen people historically, but it is very small today.
Now at UFC 328, Khamzat Chimaev will once again carry this history into the cage—the Chechen roots, the UAE flag, the memories of a war-torn youth, and the choice to keep his personal identity untouched by shifting national borders.
