Khamzat Chimaev has been making waves in the MMA world with his impressive skills. However, he has been struggling to make weight at 170 pounds and has been advised to move up to 185 pounds.
Nevertheless, Chimaev remains determined to make a name for himself in three different weight classes.
In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Chimaev shared an interesting story about a sparring session he had with former UFC light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka. The rising UFC star spoke candidly about his thoughts on Prochazka and their sparring session together.
During the interview, Chimaev recounted how he sparred with Prochazka at the Allstars Training Center in Sweden.
Chimaev revealed that he won many rounds against Prochazka during their hard sparring sessions. He even submitted the former UFC champion multiple times and beat him on several occasions.
Despite his impressive performance against Prochazka, Chimaev expressed disappointment and frustration that Prochazka was able to get a title shot before him. He even complained to his manager about the situation, saying, “I don’t know how he became a champ. Some guys I don’t know how they became a champ. When the UFC signed him, I called my manager that guy I beat him in the gym. Why did they sign that guy? Why didn’t they sign me?”
Prochazka issued a video response on the matter:
Chimaev previously slammed Prochazka for his affectations towards Japanese culture and in particular his Samurai obsession.
Chimaev quickly responded to Prochazka’s challenge offering a date at UFC Stockholm.
This wasn’t the first time Chimaev spoke about the sparring session. There was previously talk of him cracking  Prochazka’s rib – which  Prochazka confirmed.
The session dates back to 2019.
Jiri Prochazka is recovering from shoulder surgery and is likely to get a title shot upon return. He also had an unlikely defender in his corner. UFC resident loudmouth Sean Strickland vouched for the fact that Prochazka’s style doesn’t lend itself to sparring.
Since 2014, Benny A. King has been fully immersed in the world of combat sports. Starting with a blog about Greco Roman wrestling, Benny’s passion for combat sports has led him to explore various disciplines.