Have you ever seen Khamzat Chimaev spar? If not, let us paint the picture—’Borz’ is an absolute savage in training. Whether it’s sparring or fighting, the Chechen wrecking machine rarely shows mercy. Recently, the undefeated juggernaut released an old sparring image where he was seen clutching Caio Barralho in a rear-naked choke. And this isn’t any different when things get more real inside the Octagon. Remember his absolute decimation of Robert Whittaker at UFC 308 in under 3 minutes? Now, that’s dominance!

But how does Chimaev really feel about going full throttle in sparring? Curious? ‘Borz’ has finally dropped a raw confession about his approach to hard sparring. Before we reveal this, let’s get to some fight news! As revealed by Dana White during an Instagram Live session, the undefeated Chechen will finally face Dricus Du Plessis this August at UFC 319 in his long-awaited return to U.S. soil, and is set to take place at the 22,000-capacity United Center in Chicago on August 16.

Now that we’ve broken the news, let’s get back to the topic. While speaking with Kazakh comedian Nurlan Saburov, Khamzat Chimaev revealed that he doesn’t go all out on his opponents during sparring because he doesn’t want them to get seriously injured. “Sparring — even in the best sparring — I’m not trying to cripple somebody or hit anyone hard there with a leg or hard with one arm,” said Chimaev.

He further added, “Sometimes, like that, you play a whole camp, then get into a fight — you won’t work. Yeah, and your training partner, for real, if you don’t catch him catching on a corner, he won’t throw out his strong stuff. I will play, so we played, and all went home down — and we will not grow.”

Khamzat Chimaev makes it clear. If you want to elevate your game, you have to go through hell—no compromises, not even in sparring. If you’re stepping into a sparring session with Chimaev, you’d better be ready to face him head-on. Fighting Nerd sensation Caio Borralho described Chimaev as one of the toughest sparring partners he has ever faced, “For sure, the hardest guy to train with is Khamzat [Chimaev]. He’s a very hard guy to train with because of his style and his wrestling background.”

Similarly, Blake Oswald, another training partner, described his experience with Chimaev as a ‘game-changer,’ explaining that it inspired him to intensify his own training regimen. ‘Borz’ knows how to improve his game, but he has his own thoughts about sparring, and it might shock you.

“You’re doing something wrong,” Khamzat Chimaev laid bare his thoughts on sparring 

Back in 2023, Red Corner MMA sat down with Khamzat Chimaev to understand how the undefeated Chechen navigates his opponents so effortlessly inside the Octagon. Revealing his game secrets, Chimaev stated, “The most important thing is mat time — wrestling, grappling, sparring. That’s where you improve and build your Fight IQ. You work with different partners and gain experience. Running and CrossFit are just to stay in shape.”

While discussing the essentials of his training, Chimaev asserted that if a fighter is doing everything right in sparring, then there is something seriously wrong with him.“The most important thing for me is not sparring, not wrestling, not training. It’s the most important thing to win a fight. If you win everyone at sparring, then you are doing something wrong,” said Chimaev.

For ‘Borz,’ facing an opponent stronger than him is thrilling. Back in 2023, we witnessed Chimaev not only sparring with a 300-pound behemoth but also defeating him. His techniques have always been his strong suit, and with those in his arsenal, ‘Borz’ will be looking forward to clinching the title from the hands of Dricus Du Plessis. What do you think? Will ‘Borz’ be able to win the middleweight title at UFC 319? Let us know in the comment section below!