Khamzat Chimaev is now just a few months out from finally fighting for a UFC title, five years after joining the promotion.
Ever since Khamzat Chimaev made his UFC debut during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, he was immediately highlighted as a potential future double champion in the UFC.
Just 10 days after his debut, Chimaev broke a UFC record as he stepped in on short notice to take on Rhys McKee, marking the quickest turnaround between fights in the promotion’s history.
And now eight fights into his UFC tenure, following an emphatic win over Robert Whittaker at UFC 308, ‘Borz’ will finally fight for the middleweight title when he takes on Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 319.
Chimaev explains decision to do UFC 319 camp in secluded mountain village
The Chechen has gained significant popularity in his short time in the sport and that is because of wins over the likes of Whittaker, Gilbert Burns, and Kamaru Usman, along with his no-nonsense personality.
Early on in his UFC career, Chimaev suffered from several health complications, which at one point resulted in him announcing his brief retirement from the sport.
And following his continuous health issues, Chimaev decided to change teams, admitting that under his old team he used to train to exhaustion.
Ahead of his title fight in Chicago, Chimaev is conducting his fight camp in a secluded mountain village called Kislovodsk, which is classed as a ‘spa city’ in the North Caucasus region of Russia.
‘Borz’ is training at the Olympic base which was formerly used to train athletes ahead of the 1980 Olympics in Moscow.
Fortunately, despite it being a secluded village in the mountains, Chimaev is fortunate to have a gym full of teammates who are helping him prepare.
“This is the Olympic base, Kislovodsk. Probably the best base I’ve ever been to. The best place for training,” Chimaev told Adam Zubayraev.
The 31-year-old revealed that the reason he has decided to do his camp there, is because it allows him to fully focus on his training with no distractions.
“Many, all of the Olympians (hold their training camps here). Wrestlers, figure skaters, every sport is here, boxers, non-boxers. It’s a very cool place away from the city hustle. You just dive into sports, no phone, nothing.
“And your head is like (clear). All the extra stuff fades away, the food is also very tasty,” he continued.
Khamzat attempted to make a name for himself before UFC career
Despite rapidly rising to superstardom in the UFC, Chimaev attempted to make a name for himself years before he rose to fame in the premier promotion.
During Conor McGregor’s historic feud with Khabib Nurmagomedov, Chimaev flew to Ireland to ‘beat up’ McGregor after comments he made about Nurmagomedov and his religion.
And now, the 31-year-old is just months out from finally fighting for a UFC title in what seemed like an inevitable moment in his career.