What’s stronger than a luxury Mercedes driven by an unbeaten UFC fighter? Well, apparently, a barrier that refuses to move out of the way – at least this is what a Chechen news outlet claims. UFC superstar Khamzat Chimaev reportedly received a brand new Mercedes luxury car from Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, a car that he was quick to show off to his considerable Instagram following just a couple of days ago.
But traffic can be unpredictable, even more so than the slots at JackpotCity. Actually, the unpredictable nature of the JackpotCity slots is a good thing – it makes players enjoy the games way more, hoping to win big or just simply having the time of their lives playing them.
But when traffic becomes unpredictable, bad things can happen – and they apparently have. Chimaev’s pride in his new set of wheels was reportedly short-lived: a Chechen news account soon posted a video showing a car of the same make and model, reportedly owned by Chimaev himself, badly damaged after a collision with a barrier that was not quick enough to move out of the way…
According to the report, the fighter himself emerged unharmed from the car.
Khamzat Chimaev
Khamzat Chimaev was born in Chechnya, Russia, in 1994. He started wrestling at the age of five, and showed considerable talent – he won a bronze medal in the Russian National Championships before turning 18. At the age of 19, he left his homeland for Sweden, together with his family, but didn’t leave sports behind – he continued to wrestle for various clubs. In 2016 and 2017, he won a gold medal at the Swedish Freestyle National Championships in wrestling, and was considered at the time one of the best freestyle wrestlers in the country.
He first started training in MMA at the age of 23, with two-time UFC Light Heavyweight Championship challenger Alexander Gustafsson. Gustafsson later told the press that Chimaev was one of the best fighters he ever trained with.
Chimaev first stepped into the ring as an MMA fighter in September 2017, at an amateur level, against IMMAF World Champion Khaled Laallam who he defeated by submission. His amateur record was 3-0 – he won two of his fights through submission, and one through TKO. He joined the Brave Combat Federation in 2018, and won all his fights – most of them by KO or submission – before moving on to the UFC last year.
His first UFC fight – a promotional bout against John Phillips at the UFC on ESPN 13 – brought him instant fame: he won the fight by submission in the second round, and earned the Performance of the Night award. His second UFC fight – another promotional bout against Rhys McKee at the UFC on ESPN 14 – earned him a second Performance of the Night. And at the UFC Fight Night 178, he knocked out Gerald Meerschaert just 17 seconds into round one.
Unfortunately, Chimaev had to cancel his December fight against Leon Edwards in UFC Fight Night 183 because he tested positive for COVID-19. The disease had lingering effects on his health – some lung complications he suffered made him consider retiring from MMA altogether. Ultimately, he recovered, tweeting that he was ready to ‘smash everybody’ in March 2021.