Khamzat Chimaev’s relationship with Khabib Nurmagomedov seems to have endured a rocky patch.
The rising UFC prospect revealed he had a falling out with the former UFC lightweight champion over what he claims to be a misunderstanding over some social media comments. Chimaev (9-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) replied to a fan online, who said Nurmagomedov was going to “smash him,” that he would do the same to the retired UFC superstar.
The Chechen fighter now says it was a misunderstanding and that he didn’t meant it in a personal manner to Nurmagomedov, but more on the side of being up to any challenge as a fighter ready to fight anyone.
“Some guy write something about me like, ‘Khabib going to smash you,’ and I answer for this guy, but it was my wrong because I answer to this bullsh*t guy that nobody knows,” Chimaev told Frontkick.online. “I answer him if he wants to smash me, I’m going to smash him, too. (I answered) like this because I’m a real man and I’m going to answer like that. If somebody says he’ll smash you, what do you want me to say?
“He said, ‘Khabib going to smash you,’ and in my head, if somebody says he’s going to smash you, of course I’m going to answer, ‘Nobody is going to smash me. I’m going to smash everybody.’
“If you’re a real man, you have to think like that, (unless) you’re some chicken you can’t stay up. Sometimes you forget you’re famous, and I become famous like one day before, and still sometimes and you wake up and think it’s normal life for you.”
Chimaev said he’s has no problem with Nurmagomedov and always rooted for him in his career. Chimaev even said his mother prayed for Nurmagomedov when he was gearing up to defend his title against Conor McGregor.
“This guy I looked up to him in the beginning, and I still look up to him because he became a champ and he’s one of the best fighters in the world,” Chimaev said. “People think I hate him, but I love him because he’s Muslim. I’m Muslim. It’s like the same like he comes from some village like me, same country. Small republic like Chechnya, Dagestan like this is still the same. I have a lot of brothers from Dagestan, and yeah, I’m Muslim, he’s Muslim – alhamdulillah.”
Chimaev returns to the octagon in October. He takes on China’s Li Jingliang (17-6 MMA, 9-4 UFC) at UFC 267, which is expected to take place in Abu Dhabi. Chimaev is unbeaten in his MMA career. The bout with Jingliang will be his first fight back since battling complications from COVID-19, which kept him out of action in late 2020 and the first half of 2021.