Khamzat Chimaev Record, stats and next fight

Analysis

Khamzat Chimaev is one of the most debated fighters of his generation. Unbeaten for seven years, he built his name on smothering wrestling and quick finishes, then won the UFC middleweight title in August 2025 and lost it nine months later.

Background

Born on May 1, 1994 in Beno-Yurt, Chechnya, Khamzat Khizarovich Chimaev grew up wrestling before moving to Sweden as a teenager. He first trained at the Kalmar wrestling club, then joined Allstar Training Center in Stockholm at 23, where he worked alongside Alexander Gustafsson, Ilir Latifi and Reza Madadi, who became his head coach. He told ESPN he turned to mixed martial arts after watching José Aldo against Conor McGregor during a break on a night shift.

After winning three amateur fights between 2017 and 2018, he turned pro in May 2018 and put together six wins on the regional scene, mostly with Brave CF, including a knockout of Ikram Aliskerov in April 2019.

UFC career

Chimaev debuted in the UFC in July 2020 and made an instant impression: three wins in sixty-six days, over John Phillips, Rhys McKee and Gerald Meerschaert, the last one knocked out in seventeen seconds. All three performances earned a Performance of the Night bonus.

He followed with a submission of Li Jingliang in October 2021, then had the toughest fight of his career against Gilbert Burns in April 2022, a unanimous decision named Fight of the Night. Next came a submission of Kevin Holland in September 2022 and a majority decision over Kamaru Usman at UFC 294 in October 2023, which marked his permanent return to middleweight.

In October 2024, at UFC 308, he submitted Robert Whittaker in the first round with a face crank. On August 17, 2025, at UFC 319 in Chicago, he dominated Dricus Du Plessis over five rounds to win the UFC middleweight title.

His reign ended in his first defense. In May 2026, at UFC 328 in Newark, he lost a split decision to Sean Strickland, a former champion of the division. It was the first loss of his professional MMA career.

Fighting style

Chimaev builds his game on freestyle wrestling. He takes opponents down early, settles into a dominant position and mixes ground strikes with submission attempts, putting all his weight on them. His grappling is often compared to that of Khabib Nurmagomedov for his wrist control and his leg rides.

His striking, seen less often, comes from an orthodox stance and mostly serves to set up his wrestling entries, with feints that mix the threat of a takedown and a punch. The seventeen-second knockout of Gerald Meerschaert remains the clearest display of that power.

Record and titles

• Professional record: 15 wins, 1 loss
• 6 wins by KO or TKO, 6 by submission, 3 by decision
• UFC middleweight champion (2025-2026)
• 6 Performance of the Night bonuses: John Phillips, Rhys McKee, Gerald Meerschaert, Li Jingliang, Robert Whittaker, Dricus Du Plessis
• 1 Fight of the Night: Gilbert Burns

Fact sheet

• Full name: Khamzat Khizarovich Chimaev
• Nickname: Borz
• Born: May 1, 1994 in Beno-Yurt, Chechnya
• Nationality: Russian, Emirati since 2025
• Height: 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
• Reach: 6 ft 3 in (190 cm)
• Division: middleweight
• Team: Allstar Training Center, Stockholm
• Head coach: Reza Madadi
• Core skill: freestyle wrestling

Sources

• fr.wikipedia.org
• www.sherdog.com
• www.ufc.com