Rising star Khamzat “Borz” Chimaev and UFC president Dana White. Photo: Johnathon Michael – Frontkick.online / Instagram (@khamzat_chimaev)
When UFC president Dana White recently answered fan questions for GQ Sports, he was asked “which fighter on the current roster has the potential to have the same impact on the UFC as Conor McGregor”. The outspoken president had one certain rising superstar in mind.
Khamzat Chimaev made his UFC debut against middleweight John Phillips on July 16 2020. The Swede won the fight via a second-round submission and was awarded with the Performance of the Night bonus.
Since then “Borz” fought in both welterweight and middleweight and holds wins over Rhys McKee, Gerald Meerschaert, Li Jingliang and Gilbert Burns. All fights were awarded with Performance of the Night, or Fight of the Night bonuses.
Next stop for the rising UFC superstar is veteran Nate Diaz, who he will face in a five-round main event at UFC 279. The card will take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on September 10. The fight against Diaz will be Chimaev’s fifth fight in the promotion.
“Khamzat is a young guy, he’s got a lot of energy, he’s very strong, he’s got very good wrestling to take it to the ground,” Nate Diaz’s long-time coach Cesar Gracie recently said.
All in all, “Borz” is undefeated with a record of 11-0.