Chechen-born UFC star Khamzat Chimaev has admitted that his family were against him becoming a fighter, explaining that he had to point to his street-fighting exploits to convince them that his move into MMA would pay dividends.
Just three fights into his explosive start with the promotion, Chimaev is already one of the most feared prospects in the sport and has an astonishing Instagram following of more than 1.1 million supporters.
The 26-year-old has revealed that he had to reassure his family over his violent career path, although his opening victories – securing two wins in ten days on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi this summer – ultimately proved as persuasive to them as it did to many fight fans.
“At the beginning of my career, everyone was against it,” Chimaev told UFC Russia, reflecting on the resistance from close to home that he initially encountered.
“My brother, mother, father – they say it is a bad sport and they thought I would get my head beaten off.
“I replied, ‘I fought in the street how many times? No-one beat my head off. Wait, let me fight.'”
Chimaev’s cranium remained firmly intact as he emphatically dealt with John Phillips and Rhys McKee in July, recording the quickest turnaround between fights in modern UFC history.
Speed was also a notable feature of the Sweden-based upstart’s victory over the more established Gerald Meerschaert in Las Vegas in September, requiring just 17 seconds to brutally knock out his latest challenger in a bout that may not have been watched by his mother.
“My father watches,” said Chimaev, discussing his perfect three-fight amateur record and six victorious professional scraps before his UFC debut.
“My mother… I don’t know. She says she doesn’t look, but I don’t believe her. Maybe my father only allows her to look later, because anything can happen, and I don’t want my mother to see that.
“I had two or three fights and they realized that I really want this. Then when I got to the UFC, my father started watching fights.
“My brother has been supporting me for a long time. In the beginning, he didn’t want me to do MMA.
“Mom still after asks me to end my career after each fight. She says ‘that’s it – you became a champion.'”
