Khamzat Chimaev had kept his return timeline vague, but the reigning middleweight champion already has a name in mind for his cornerman. The Chechen powerhouse has stayed sidelined since claiming the belt, and since then, the MMA world has been asking: Where is ‘Borz’? When is he coming back? Finally, this week, Chimaev broke his silence.

“See you after Ramadan, you have time to work on your wrestling, bratishka,” wrote Khamzat Chimaev, as highlighted by MMA Zone on YouTube. Even though Ramadan is still more than two months away, the Chechen star sent a warning to Nassourdine Imavov through social media. Around the same time, Chimaev also invited Russian tech billionaire Pavel Durov to join him as his cornerman.

Khamzat Chimaev seeks Pavel Durov’s support in his fight camp

The UFC has long attracted celebrities and politicians, and over time, the sport has also drawn the attention of Silicon Valley tycoons like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. Now, Russian technology entrepreneur and Telegram CEO Pavel Durov, who holds $17.1 billion, will join Khamzat Chimaev in his corner for the next fight.

At the same time, this move highlights the growing crossover between MMA and global business icons. “Brother @durov in my corner next fight,” wrote Khamzat Chimaev on X, asking the tycoon to be his cornerman. “It will be my honor,” wrote Pavel Durov in the thread, which ‘Borz’ called a “done deal.”

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Interestingly, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has recently shown increasing interest in MMA. Last month, he collaborated with Khabib Nurmagomedov to launch a digital gift auction, which earned millions. Around the same time, Nurmagomedov invited Durov to train with him. “Brother [Pavel Durov], I see you always in the gym. I think it’s time you come and train with the brotherhood,” Nurmagomedov wrote, and Durov accepted the offer.

Moreover, in addition to his connections with Khabib Nurmagomedov and Khamzat Chimaev, Durov has also linked up with UFC legend Jon Jones on social media during Jones’s visit to Chechnya.

‘Borz ends feud with Khabib Nurmagomedov’s team

Although they come from the same region but different states, Khamzat Chimaev and Khabib Nurmagomedov’s teams were involved in one of the few notable rivalries in an area generally known for the “Muslim Brotherhood” and a friendly culture.

The conflict began in 2021 in the presence of Ramzan Kadyrov, when ‘Borz’ said, “We’ll tear him apart if he wants,” referring to Khabib Nurmagomedov, sparking tension between the two groups.

The rivalry intensified in 2022 during UFC 280, when Khamzat Chimaev got into a physical altercation with Khabib’s cousin, Abubakar Nurmagomedov. Ramzan Kadyrov later stepped in to broker a truce between the two.

On November 17, Khamzat Chimaev appeared to mend their previously strained relationship with a message. “’The Wolf’ and ‘The Eagle’ are not always close, but when you need to protect the mountains, they will always protect them together!” he wrote after UFC 322.

Unsurprisingly, the post received a warm and enthusiastic response from Russian fans and was widely read as a sign that past tensions were finally easing.