Imagine this – a newbie in the UFC has the bravery to call out Khamzat Chimaev over his beef with Khabib Nurmagomedov. Is it bravery or stupidity, and who is this person? Well, it’s none other than Russian fighter Azamat Bekoev aka ‘Iron’ who made an emphatic debut at UFC 311 against Zach Reese and already seems to be ruffling feathers. The 19-3-0 fighter with seven submission wins and five by KO (one was a slam) has a rivalry with the Chechen juggernaut Khamzat Chimaev.

But how did this rivalry start? Has the rivalry been resolved now or is it still simmering beneath the surface? And what is this talk of them settling the score with a spar? Let’s find out.

Azamat Bekoev clarifies his beef with Khamzat Chimaev

Bekoev managed to finish the fight at UFC 311 within one round with deadly ground-and-pound. While his fighting style is definitely attractive, members of the media are more enthralled with his beef with the Chechen wolf Khamzat Chimaev. Let’s jog our memory, shall we? Remember when Chimaev had a beef with Khabib Nurmagomedov’s cousin, UFC welterweight Abubakar Nurmagomedov at UFC 280? However, the next day, ‘The Eagle’, Islam Makhachev, and Abubakar were seen breaking bread with Chimaev.

Nonetheless, this old feud did not sit well with the newcomer and he decided to call the middleweight star. But then he realized something and decided the squash the feud in no time. He said, “Why did I decide to respond to him? (Khamzat). He was angry at me, then not only did [he do it to] Khabib [he] hit Shlemenko [and] also Ayash. The fighter impressed me at that time and I wanted to fight the strongest there too. So I challenged him. I have been to Thailand, we crossed paths with Khamzat.”

So when they finally crossed paths in a gym in Thailand, ‘Iron’ had an interesting exchange with the Chechen. Bekoev said, “He says to me  ‘OK let’s spar then’. I said, ‘Let’s do it’. And he said, ‘Just don’t get offended if I knock you out’. I said, ‘You don’t get offended either if I’ll knock you out’. And I added, ‘If you don’t knock me out, then you have to tell Dana White to sign me in UFC’.

However, the bet did not go through because apparently, the Chechen warrior had to leave Thailand because the UFC called upon him before they could complete their sparring session. Interestingly, both fighters share the same weight class, so they might face off in the Octagon someday. However, ‘Borz’ has other business to settle, before engaging with the Russian fighter.

Chimaev’s resolution for 2025

Chimaev returned to UFC with a vengeance after all the struggles and illness he went through. Despite staying away from the Octagon for a year, he paid no heed to the downtime and trained hard to ultimately finish Robert Whittaker in round 1 at UFC 308.

The 14-0-0 undefeated MMA star has had a new surge of energy and took to Instagram to let his fans know about his 11-month deadline. Sharing pictures of himself from inside the Octagon, Chimaev shared, “2025 I will take this belt InShAllah, and no one can stop it.” He is currently the frontrunner to challenge for the middleweight belt once Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland settle their business in the Octagon at UFC 312..

For now, we can safely assume that ‘Borz’ is next in line for the middleweight title. Against whom, will be decided on February 9th, at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia. Who will Khamzat Chimaev end up facing for the middleweight title? ‘Stillknocks’ or ‘Tarzan’? Do let us know your thoughts in the comments down below.