Does Khamzat Chimaev need to start worrying about reaching the fight venue rather than the actual fight? It seems likely because an old rumor was again doing the rounds recently. Chimaev had shut down talks about him not being allowed to fight on US soil ahead of his fight against Robert Whittaker at UFC 308. ‘Borz‘ addressed these issues and said that there was no such ban. However, independent journalist Karim Zidan confirmed that Chimaev’s problems with entering the USA were because of his close relation to Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.
But he did say that if Donald Trump became the president, the middleweight would likely have a better chance at fighting in America. What did Chael Sonnen say about this? Well, he had a different reason as to why Chimaev could fight in America.
He said, “According to the rumor and Chimaev, himself, he has travel issues. It’s the second time that this rumor has come up on Chimaev. The first time I’m the one that broke that it wasn’t true. So this rumour has now come up again and a bigger question is can he get to the match? And I would have to think yes. I would not think somebody could be named a No 1 contender if there was an intent to make good on that.”
Sonnen added, “Chimaev has not only been named the No. 1 contender; that came when he beat Kamaru Usman. Chimaev has been named the No 1 contender for a second time that came when he beat Whittaker. I say yes I think he does get the opportunity.”
The U.S. State Department authorized an accusation of Kadyrov over numerous human rights misuses. On the other hand, Chimaev has been training the leader’s sons despite these concerns over the years. Chimave’s last fight on US soil happened in 2022 when he defeated Kevin Holland at UFC 279.
However, Chimaev had said to Shakiel Mahjouri that he could not travel to America because of injuries and other illnesses and not because of a ban. He said, “I don’t think [it would be a problem], there’s a lot of s*** things [being said]. I’ve been in the U.S., and can come to the U.S. But, a lot of s*** things have happened in my life. Being sick, having surgeries, so that’s why I’ve [not] been fighting [there] like before.” Now things might be truly changing for the Chechen Wolf who recently came on social media to announce a huge update.
Khamzat Chimaev might just get to fight on American soil
‘Borz’ announced ra while back that he is officially a citizen of the UAE now. “It is my honor and privilege to be able to represent this beautiful nation both as an athlete and a citizen. I would like to thank the UAE for its support and I will do my best to make this country proud of me,” said Chimaev on Instagram along with his new passport for UAE.
There were two main reasons why Chimaev might have been banned from the USA. Firstly Russia’s invasion of Ukraine played a part and secondly ‘Borz’s’ association with Ramzan Kadyrov, the dictator of Chechnya. Since Chimaev had a Russian passport, he was reportedly banned from the USA. But the thing is many fighters from Russia are allowed into the US soil so why not Chimaev? It’s because of his close association with Kadyrov which we mentioned earlier.
But with Donald Trump as the president, he might make the rules a little loose for the Chechen warrior since he is a big fan of UFC. He even called Chimaev “a great fighter” on Instagram previously. So is Sonnen right about Chimaev fighting in the USA? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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