It’s nothing short of heartbreaking to lose someone who has been a source of inspiration for a long while. And 28 May 2025 was indeed a dark day for the wrestling community. It was the day when the legendary freestyle wrestler, Salman Hashimikov, passed away at the age of 73. Yes, the wrestling world did celebrate his last birthday on April 5. The reason behind his passing hasn’t been revealed to the public. Nevertheless, the world as a whole has come together to mourn and celebrate the kind of life that Hashimikov led. 

Hashimikov was one of the pioneers of freestyle wrestling. He proved his strength multiple times and even became the world champion four times—in 1979, 1981, 1982, and 1983. He was the one who showed the world that even if you are above 100 kg (220 pounds), you can still reign over the best for ages. Hashimikov also tried his luck in professional wrestling. And it was a success! He became the IW Grand Prix heavyweight champion. And his unfortunate death, even though it seems natural, was something that the fighting community didn’t expect to come this soon. This news has also brought out a few tears from our very own Khamzat Chimaev’s eyes. 

The #3 UFC middleweight contender took to Instagram and shared the news with his followers by putting up a Story about the heavyweight wrestler. The caption to the Chechen Wolf’s Story read, “Salman Khasimikov has passed away – Legend of freestyle wrestling.” Needless to say, Hashimikov has been an inspiration to generations of Chechens. And ‘Borz’ was definitely one of them. 

Of course, the wrestling realm did not stay quiet about the news. Soon after the Federation of Sports Wrestling of Russia (FSBR) reported the unfortunate news, the world took to social media and shared their thoughts. Let’s see what the fans had to say about Hashimikov. 

Fight fans join Khamzat Chimaev to mourn Salman Hashimikov

Most of the fans decided to celebrate the life that the legend lived. One fan on X reflected on the time when Hashimikov turned to UWFI. The tweet read, “RIP Salman Hashimikov (4 May 1953 – 28 May 2025). Salman Hashimikov was invincible in the 100kg+ amateur wrestling class in the early 80s. Yet he had no Olympic experience. I remember the Red Bull gang well. It was shocking. The first time I saw him live was after he became UWF International. May he rest in peace.” Yes, the lack of Olympic performance was the only shortcoming in the legend’s life. Another fan added, “Saddened to hear about the passing of former IWGP Heavyweight Champion Salman Hashimikov. The 5th holder of the title, defeated Vader just one month into Vader’s reign. A decorated Men’s Freestyle Wrestling gold medal winner, and a hell of a fighter.”

But his bout against Nobuhiko Takada was something that the world will never forget. One of the fans wrote, “rest in peace Salman Hashimikov , one of the best ever when it came to translating freestyle wrestling to pro wrestling and selling the struggle that came with freestyle wrestling. I will never forget his match against Nobuhiko Takada in UWFI.” One more fan claimed that it was his battle against Victor Zangiev that changed the wrestling community. The comment read, “Seeing him and Zangiev genuinely changed how I think about wrestling permanently.”

Nevertheless, the fighting realm knew that Hashimikov was one of the few fighters who changed the world’s perspective with their performances. A tweet in Russian (translated by X) read, “An outstanding athlete, a true legend of world sports, Salman Khasimikov, passed away at the age of 73. A native of the Chechen Republic, he forever inscribed his name in the history of domestic and world wrestling. Competing in the heavyweight category (over 100 kg).” Another Russian tweet added to it. It went like, “Four-time World Champion in Freestyle Wrestling Salman Khasimikov Passes Away. The Russian Wrestling Federation reported this to RIA Novosti. Khasimikov was 72 years old.” But many others knew that Hashimikov was the one who put Russia as a country with the strongest wrestlers. A fan wrote, “he was, I believe, the first legitimate Russian pro wrestler I ever saw compete.”

Have you seen Hashimikov in action? If so, what’s your favorite moment from the Chechen wrestler’s life? Let us know about it all in the comments down below.