Years before Khamzat Chimaev rose to fame in the UFC, he attempted to make a name for himself by confronting Conor McGregor in Ireland.
This coming August, Khamzat Chimaev will finally fight for the UFC middleweight title when he takes on Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 319.
Ahead of their clash in Chicago, Du Plessis and Chimaev have been feuding online, setting up for what promises to be an incredible middleweight fight.
However, years before Chimaev’s rise to fame in the UFC, the Chechen attempted to make a name for himself when he flew to Ireland to ‘beat up’ Conor McGregor.
Khamzat Chimaev landed in Ireland to confront Conor McGregor during Khabib feud
In 2018, McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s feud hit an all-time high when Nurmagomedov’s team cornered McGregor’s then-teammate Artem Lobov in a hotel lobby and slapped him.
Almost immediately, the Irishman rounded up several of his troops and they flew to America to confront Khabib, going on to throw a metal dolly through a UFC coach window as Khabib and several other UFC stars sat on the bus.
Not long after, ‘Borz’ Chimaev boarded a flight to Ireland and claimed he was attempting to go and ‘beat up’ McGregor, defending Nurmagomedov.
Despite his plan, upon landing in Ireland, Chimaev was stopped at passport control and questioned for several hours. After hours of questioning, the Chechen was sent back to Sweden.
“At that time, no one knew who I was. He was also talking about another guy who’s also Chechen. I don’t remember his name, but he told us he knocked him out in a sparring session,” Chimaev explained to Adam Zubayraev years after.
“My mind was blowing up at that moment, but I’m living here very close to him. I was thinking that I would catch him on the streets or at the gym and beat him up. This is what he deserved.
“I landed in Ireland and waited in an airport. First they stopped me a while and then slightly told me to go… When I was going out of the airport they stopped me again… They drove me to the police station and kept me for eight hours.
“Honestly speaking, I wanted to beat him up. Many people thought I was coming there to help him prepare for Khabib. I was coming there to protect our pride and honor,” he continued.
Khabib Nurmagomedov claims Conor McGregor paid for new Dagestan training center
McGregor and Khabib’s rivalry will go down as one of the biggest in combat sports history, with the two still having an eager hatred for one another.
Despite that, Khabib has credited his rivalry with McGregor for being able to recently open a huge new training center in Dagestan.
The Russian star has opened up the training center for the next generation of MMA stars in the region, looking to continue his father’s legacy.