Is Khamzat Chimaev Russian?

Chimaev has gathered millions of fans during his stellar UFC run. The Welterweight has stormed the division by winning 5 in a row  and is close to getting a title shot.

How old is Chimaev?

Khamzat Chimaev is currently 27 years old (born May 1st, 1994). Chimaev was born in Chechenya which is a part of Russia. However Chimaev was born during the First Chechen War with Russia. The war lasted from 1994 until 1996 and in it, Chechenya gained a de facto independence although it remained a part of Russia. Russian federal control was restored in the Second Chechen War of 1999–2009. So yes technically Chimaev was born in Russia, and likely has a Russian passport.

Is Khamzat Chimaev Russian? Or Is Khamzat Chimaev Swedish?

In 2013, Chimaev immigrated to Sweden with his mother. He was 18 at the time. Like the other Nordic countries, Sweden allows dual citizenship. You may apply for Swedish citizenship and retain your original citizenship. This is possible in some but not all European countries.

This is likely a saving grace for Chimaev, considering the sanctions Russian athletes are facing and the difficult road to obtain a visa.

Ranzam Kadyrov is one of the most controversial public figures in the world. The leader of the Chechen Republic is accused of several crimes, including kidnapping, murder, and torture of human rights activists and critics.

Kadyrov publicly denies all accusations.

The Chechen leader also has a great interest in combat sports. Kadyrov is the founder of the fighting promotion Absolute Championship Akhmat (ACA) formerly known as Absolute Championship Berkut.

Kadyrov has an obsession with “collecting” MMA fighters. The leader has proudly displayed pictures with MMA fighters like Fabricio Werdum, and Frank Mir, among many others. He also once shared a close relationship with the UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov.

A few days before his UFC 273 Chimaev shared on his Instagram a conversation he had with the Head of the Government of Chechenya, Ramzan Kadyrov.

Chimaev hasn’t posted about the tie to the controversial Chechen for a while – but in the lead up to the event he shared a facetime type call he shared with the leader.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Khamzat captioned the post Akhmat sila, meaning Akhmat force. Akhmat is the MMA club Kadyrov sponsors, which many believe to be a funnel to Kadyrov’s mercenary army.