The UFC’s welterweight division may have a new problem on its hands, and Khamzat Chimaev has warned the division about his training partner. The quality of a fighter’s training camp often predicts their success, and for Chimaev, the UFC is set to feature another talent from his training team.

Chimaev’s roots are connected to Chechnya. Although he emigrated to Sweden at an early age, even today, he trains for his fights from a gym based in the same Russian region surrounded by elite MMA professionals. Surely, Chimaev’s UFC performances are evidence of the quality of companions he has.

“@vagarv_abubakar Welcome to the @ufc💪🏿,” wrote Chimaev on Instagram Stories.

The fighter in question is none other than Abubakar Vagaev. Sounds like a nobody? Maybe, but his professional MMA records speak otherwise. Vagaev is the reigning ACA welterweight champion, a promotion based in Russia. And Khamzat Chimaev‘s teammate is one of the standout fighters there with a record of 8-1.

Notably, Vagaev will not be the only fighter representing Fight Club Akhmat, known for having top grapplers, to join the leading MMA promotion. Bantamweight Said Nurmagomedov is one such name who trains in that same gym and fights in the UFC. However, unlike the camaraderie shared between Chimaev and Vagaev, Nurmagomedov does not have a close bond with the UFC middleweight champion.

That said, just a year ago, when Vagaev fought Albert Tumenov for the welterweight title at ACA 183, ‘Borz’ was in the corner to support his friend. On top of that, the way Chimaev confirmed the signing of his countryman at the leading MMA promotion, it seems they have a strong bond.

However, the UFC is yet to make any official announcement regarding Vagaev’s signing. But given Chimaev’s close ties with both parties, surely, the agreement must have taken place. To that end, he couldn’t even contain it. Amid that, ‘Borz’ kept Vagaev’s debut date a mystery.

That said, while his teammate’s UFC appearance date is a question mark, Chimaev has an important fight coming up. With that said, Vagaev will ensure in the training camps that the middleweight champion is well prepared for it. But who is Chimaev fighting?

Khamzat Chimaev vs. Sean Strickland booked for UFC 328, former champ shares preview

Khamzat Chimaev became the middleweight champion by defeating Dricus du Plessis via unanimous decision last year. And now, he is set to make his first title defense against former kingpin Sean Strickland at UFC 328 on May 9. Considering the winning momentum, Chimaev is seemingly the favourite, but du Plessis disagrees as he shares his two cents.

“In striking, Strickland definitely beats Khamzat, for sure,” said du Plessis during an interview with SA BOXING TALK. “Khamzat is a problem when he has you on your back. We’ve seen that many times. Strickland is a lot stronger than people might think. I think he has a very good chance in that fight.”

‘Borz’ and Strickland both have different strong areas. While Chimaev relies on his wrestling, ‘Tarzan’ loves to outclass his opponent in standup exchanges. And interestingly, du Plessis has fought both of them.

As such, in the fight against Strickland, the South African seemingly dominated to win via unanimous decision. But when he came across Chimaev, du Plessis was controlled for over 21 minutes in the 25-minute fight. Now, despite that stark reality, ‘Stillknocks’ believes Strickland has the edge over ‘Borz’.

Surely, he has his reasons for that. But what do you think about the fight? Can ‘Tarzan’ be the one to give Chimaev his first UFC loss? Let us know in the comments below!