The first time I have witnessed the sheer brilliance of Khamzat Chimaev is during BRAVE CF 18 which took place during the BRAVE International Combat Week 2018 in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
He was scheduled to compete in the opening bout of the fight night against Marko Kisic with four straight wins in his professional career. The fight didn’t last long. Khamzat made his mark before a shocked audience by scoring a brutal TKO victory in the very first round. BRAVE Combat Federation has given a platform for talent around the world and became the voice of fighters in the region.
Khamzat Chimaev represents the next generation of talent who are taking over the MMA world. Calm, always with a smile, and respectful to everyone outside the cage, the Chechen Viking upholds the values that martial arts instill while cherishing the constant support he enjoys from his teammates. He trains at the Allstars Training Center in Sweden, which is home to some of the toughest warriors in the world including, Alexander “The Mauler” Gustafsson, Reza “Mad Dog” Madadi, and Ilir “The Sledgehammer” Latifi. Chimaev has indeed learned from the best and keeps improving his skill set from time to time.
Throughout my career at BRAVE Combat Federation, never did I meet a fighter who is ready to take fights across any of the weight classes physically possible, and has kept the word by taking the fight to finish. Lightweight, welterweight, or middleweight didn’t matter for Khamzat. His striking is lethal, and his wrestling is par excellence.
Given the right circumstances and guidance, Khamzat can evolve into a fighter the MMA fans and the industry had never experienced before. Indeed he is at the safe hands of Ali Abdelaziz who has established an impressive stable of champions managing top fighters for the past couple of decades. Khamzat is only six fights young. This will indeed put a lot of pressure over a fighter of his caliber to prove his worth. But given that age, skill, and support on his side, this is achievable.
The Chechen Viking ravaged his opponents in his path of destruction leading to challenging the best Mixed Martial Artist in all of Middle East – Jarrah Hussein Al-Silawi. Now the fans are waiting for the dream match only if UFC succeeds to sign the Jordanian Lion.
However, Khamzat is on a league of his own and will face the veteran of wars, John “The White Mike Tyson” Phillips (22-9-0). Chimaev will be doing the fans a favor if he can dismantle the fighter who is bold enough to have a nickname like “The White Mike Tyson”.
Phillips owns power in his hands as he showcased in his fight against Alen Amedovski. Phillips dispatched his opponent with an overhand left within 14 seconds of the first round. Khamzat Chimaev is not merely a grappler like most of the UFC fans and journalists had stereotyped fighters from the region. Chimaev is the master of skull shattering uppercuts that can make even the fans cheering for him feel concerned about the safety of his opponent.
The bout will take place on July 15 on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, as part of the promotion’s four “Fight Island” events being held in 15 days. Stay tuned, because this will be the rise of a star unlike nothing else you have witnessed before. Khamzat Chimaev indeed stands a chance to be the breakout star of the year in the UFC.
About the author
Hari Bhagirath is the former Chief Creative Officer at BRAVE Combat Federation. Currently, he heads Strategic Relations and Financial Communication for a major Fortune 100 organization. He is also the co-founder of Totem Capital, a private wealth management initiative.
