The Las Vegas bookmakers know their stuff. They’ve made Khamzat Chimaev a narrow favourite ahead of his UFC showdown against middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis this weekend. Who exactly is the man they call The Wolf?
Khamzat Chimaev once fought twice in 10 days on Fight Island, a feat that felt less like a tactical decision and more like a declaration of war.
He absorbed a mere two strikes while landing 192, and he didn’t just win; he humiliated his opponents.
When asked about his philosophy, he said it plainly: “I don’t know how to lose.”
It’s not bravado; it’s a pathology forged by a life where losing was never an option. This absurd, relentless dominance in the early days of his UFC career serves as a perfect microcosm of the man himself, a fighter who doesn’t just want to win, but wants to erase his opponents.
Chimaev is more than just an undefeated MMA phenomenon; he is a fighter forged in the harshest conditions of war and survival. There is a coldness in his eyes that doesn’t blink under pressure; not arrogance, but something older, deeper.
As he prepares to face the formidable Dricus du Plessis for the UFC middleweight title in Chicago this weekend, the story beneath the surface of Chimaev’s seemingly unstoppable rise offers a gritty portrait of a man shaped by adversity, raw desire, and a warrior spirit entrenched since childhood.
Born in 1994 in the volatile village of Gvardeyskoye in Chechnya, Russia, Chimaev’s early life was anything but easy. Chechnya, ravaged by war and violence, shaped a generation of youths who learned to fight for every inch of existence. His earliest memories are not of playgrounds, but of conflict, not in the cage, but in the streets.
From the age of five, he was wrestling on dusty mats, a sport deeply embedded in Chechen culture. For Chimaev, it was more than just a pastime; it was an escape and a form of survival, an anchor amidst chaos.
His physical and mental toughness were visible from the outset, sporting a distinctive scar on his lip, a witness to a childhood injury that left one nostril impaired, a permanent reminder of the raw world he inhabited.
At 18, Chimaev’s family fled the war-torn landscape of his birth, emigrating to Sweden with little more than grit and a dream. This displacement did not soften him; it sharpened him. Amidst a foreign culture, wrestling became his language, his therapy, his weapon. He didn’t just train; he devoured opponents.
He continued to wrestle with the fire and fury of his homeland still burning inside him, eventually becoming a three-time Swedish national freestyle wrestling champion. But he wasn’t chasing medals; he was chasing something more primal: dominance.
A new fire was lit when, while watching a Conor McGregor fight one night at work, he saw the money and the fame. In Chimaev’s own words, it made him realise, “Why can’t I do it? I’m a fighter, a warrior, and I have something special inside me.”
This spark would ignite his singular devotion to MMA starting at age 23.
His trajectory in MMA has been nothing short of meteoric. Training at the Allstars Training Centre in Stockholm alongside established fighters, Chimaev quickly became a force of nature. His fighting style is a perfect storm of aggression and calculation. Known for his suffocating wrestling, reminiscent of Khabib Nurmagomedov, Chimaev’s approach combines relentless grappling with devastating ground-and-pound and submissions.
But his style isn’t just about brute force; it’s a calculated tactician’s game where heavy knockout power from basic, orthodox striking complements his wrestling transitions. His nickname “Borz” (Chechen for “wolf”) isn’t just branding; it’s biology. He hunts. He stalks. He finishes.
Yet, the man behind the ferocity remains enigmatic and complex. Chimaev is deeply loyal to his roots, his team, and his code. This loyalty is also where a dark and nuanced shadow falls across his story, namely his close association with the controversial Chechen leader, Ramzan Kadyrov.
Known for his iron grip over Chechnya and a history of repression, Kadyrov is an influential figure in Chimaev’s life, gifting him cars, influencing his career decisions, and even training with him. This relationship has sparked debate and criticism, creating an unavoidable tension between Chimaev’s achievements and the political entanglements that follow him.
The complexity extends to his identity; despite spending years in Sweden, he did not take Swedish citizenship, a testament to his complicated loyalties. In early 2025, he accepted UAE citizenship, aligning with his evolving career and global ambitions.
His journey hasn’t been without setbacks. After contracting Covid in 2020, Chimaev battled lingering symptoms that nearly ended his career. At one point, fearing cancer after repeatedly coughing blood, the fighter contemplated retirement. Yet the same toughness that helped him survive war propelled him back from the brink.
Every time, he returned sharper, meaner, and more focused. His fighting record (14-0) remains spotless, yet what resonates more is his unyielding spirit, the hunger to prove himself, and the refusal to be diminished by adversity. He dispatched elite competitors such as Robert Whittaker and Kamaru Usman with brutal efficiency, leaving no doubt of his elite standing.
Now, he stands on the brink of something bigger. A win over Du Plessis could catapult him into legend. But for Chimaev, legacy isn’t built on belts; it’s built on bodies and the unshakeable fear he instills in his opponents.
There’s a moment in every Chimaev fight when the opponent realises they’re not in a contest, they’re in a crisis. That moment is what separates him from the rest. It’s not technique; it’s terror. He creates chaos and thrives in it.
To understand Chimaev is to understand obsession. He doesn’t just want to win, he wants to erase you. He is a predator in every sense of the word.
And yet, there’s a vulnerability, too; he’s been questioned, doubted, and vilified. But with every victory, he proves that he doesn’t just fight his opponents, he fights the ghosts of his past and the doubts of anyone who underestimates the power of a man moulded by fire.
This is Khamzat Chimaev: the undefeated, complex, and formidable force who will face Du Plessis with everything he has, a true product of struggle and raw, unfiltered willpower.
