If you are an avid fan of UFC and MMA you’ll know something huge went down in 2018. For the unversed, you’re in for a treat! Khamzat Chimaev had Conor McGregor in his mind way before he stepped foot into the UFC. The Chechen wolf who stepped in with two UFC victories in 10 days at Fight Island, has been compared to undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov by the media many times. And he tried to return the favor to the Dagestani phenom by going after McGregor during the UFC 229 fiasco between Khabib and ‘The Notorious’.
He even reiterated later to the media and still remembers the incident like it was yesterday. While speaking to his friend in a new video, ‘Borz’ recalled the incident 7 years back and said [in Russian], “I was looking for him I saw one of our guys, well our one compatriot you can say from the Chechen republic the guys told me I don’t know for sure whether he is from Chechnya or not the guy looked like a Chechen. He dropped a photo on the pair and threw it, not give it to the guys.”
He further elaborated on what happened and why he would never go back to Ireland. Chimaev recalled, “The guy said ‘come on come on’ that’s how he flew somehow. I didn’t find him. I was arrested and short at the airport they sent me back. Something confused me with someone I don’t know with whom. Then sent a letter ‘You can always come back always please.’ I never tried to go there again.” A little confused with all the translations of his Russian narration? Don’t worry because here is what happened.
The Chechen wolf had traveled to Ireland around the time of his professional debut in 2018 when McGregor had a huge scuffle with Nurmagomedov at their UFC 229 fight. Chimaev went to ‘Mystic Mac’s’ country solely to “beat him up” for comments made about Nurmagomedov and Chechens.
MMA: UFC 279-Chimaev vs Holland, Sep 10, 2022 Las Vegas, Nevada, USA Khamzat Chimaev red gloves fights Kevin Holland blue gloves during UFC 279 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports, 10.09.2022 20:49:28, 19026305, NPStrans, T-Mobile Arena, Holland, Kevin Holland, MMA PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xJoexCamporealex 19026305
What was this comment exactly? Before the UFC 229 fight, ‘The Notorious’ has made insensitive comments on Khabib’s family and religion. McGregor posted pictures on social media with captions saying “chilling in Jahannam” (the Arabic word for hell), referring to Nurmagomedov’s Muslim faith. The undefeated Chechen middleweight phenom was not happy about this.
He recalled the incident back in 2020, with Russian freelance reporter Adam Zubayraev and described what happened. He said [in Russia]n, “It is that time when he insulted Khabib, and he also was talking about Zubaira (Tukhugov). At that time, nobody knew who I was.”
However, after traveling to Ireland he was stopped at the airport and detained for almost 9 hours and later was shipped back home without explanations despite having proper travel documents. He even said that he was kept in a cell but there was no interrogation. ‘Borz’ said, “I was doing push-ups and squats. They didn’t even bring me food. Then after a while, they told me, ‘You have to go back to Sweden.’”
Chimaev said his trip to Ireland was a way to defend not only Nurmagomedov’s honor but the honor of the Chechen people. Why? Well, because McGregor decided to open up the wounds of the Chechnya-Dagestan war while throwing insults at Nurmagomedov. But then it was surprising when Khamzat Chimaev directed his ire at the very man’s honor he sought to defend.
Khamzat Chiamev’s beef with Khabib Nurmagomedov’s teammate
Chechnya and Dagestan have had tensions brewing in the past because of ethnic, and political differences. And these tensions pushed a fan to ask a sensitive question to Chimaev. “Salam Khamzat, I want to know something, why Dagestan and Chechnya don’t respect each other?” the fan questioned on Instagram, under one of Chimaev’s reels.
The UFC star immediately refuted any rivalry with his fellow brothers and quoted verses from the Quran, “Do not break the bond between each other, do not turn your back, do not harbor hatred, and do not be jealous of each other. O slaves of Allah, be brothers. It is not allowed for a Muslim to be angry with his religious brother for more than three days.”
However, he did have a beef with Khabib Nurmagomedov when he was embroiled in a physical altercation with ‘The Eagle’s’ cousin Abubakar Nurmagomedov. But everything was later resolved and Khabib declared that apologies were exchanged. One thing is clear though, while fighters from the Caucasus might have their differences, they stand together as one when an external player comes into the picture, all guns blazing.
What do you think of the solidarity Chimaev showed Nurmagomedov? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below.
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