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Khamzat Chimaev is a Russian-born Swedish mixed martial artist. He has fought four times in the UFC to date and is all set to make his fifth octagon appearance this weekend at UFC 273 against Gilbert Burns.
Chimaev was born in Chechnya, Russia on May 1, 1994. The 29-year-old moved to Sweden when he was 19 years old. His older brother used to work in the Scandinavian nation and was the influence behind 'Borz' starting to wrestle.
He has won multiple freestyle wrestling championships in Sweden and started training in MMA there.
While speaking to ESPN MMA's Brett Okamoto, here's what Chimaev said about his decision to move to Sweden:
"My brother was living here. He told us come here, it's good for us. And our one brorther he has like surgery as well. So that helps him like when we come directly. After that we stay here, we like it and they help us a lot as well."
Watch Khamzat Chimaev's interview with ESPN MMA below:
Khamzat Chimaev shifts the base to UAE
Khamzat Chimaev rose to prominence in MMA during his time in Sweden. But he left the country due to alleged disagreements about higher taxes and some Sweidsh laws. It has also been alleged that Chimaev took issues with Sweden's policies regarding freedom of speech.
A few months ago, Chimaev switched side and pledged his allegience to United Arab Emirates. 'Borz' received UAE citizenship in the process and will now represent the country in the sport of Mixed Martial Arts.
"He has emigrated, he is no longer Swedish," Chimaev's manager Majdi Shammas told Swedish media about the move.
Chimaev shifted his camp to Dubai and he has been training there over the past few months. UFC 294 will mark the first time that Khamzat Chimaev will officially represent the UAE inside the octagon.
The 29-year-old was originally scheduled to fight former middleweight title challenger Paulo Costa at the event. However, Costa pulled out of the fight due to a severe staph infection.
Former UFC weltereight champion Kamaru Usman will fight Chimaev as the late replacement opponent. Chimaev is a massive -278 favorite heading into the contest. It will mark Kamaru Usman's middleweight debut in the UFC.
