It didn’t take long for UFC welterweight star Khamzat Chimaev to gain weight back ahead of his wrestling match against Jack Hermansson.
Chimaev and Hermansson will go to battle in a special freestyle wrestling match in both fighter’s native Sweden. The Bulldog Fight Night 9 event will take place on Friday night in Gothenburg.
The fight will take place at middleweight, 15 pounds heavier than Chimaev’s recent fight against Li Jingliang at welterweight at UFC 267. Ahead of his wrestling main event against his UFC colleague Hermansson, Chimaev looks right at home at 185 pounds.
Check out Chimaev and Hermansson facing off below.
Khamzat Chimaev Is Coming Off Of Arguably The Best Fight Of His Career Against Li Jingliang At UFC 267
Chimaev has catapulted himself to UFC stardom with an undefeated record in MMA. In 2020, he earned three finishes within about two months at both welterweight and middleweight.
Chimaev could get a UFC title shot sooner rather than later. In the latest UFC rankings, he is listed as the No. 10 welterweight in the promotion. Fans are already starting to start conversations about how a Chimaev fight with Kamaru Usman would go down.
For now, Chimaev faces a tough test on the wrestling mat against Hermansson. A UFC middleweight contender, Hermansson is wrestling by trade and has smothered his opponents, most recently Edmen Shahbazyan in May.
Chimaev has shown off ferocious striking in the UFC but is also an elite grappler as he showed off against Jingliang. He took Jingliang to the ground with relative ease while at the same time attempting to have a full-on conversation with UFC president Dana White, who was sitting cageside.
The Chimaev vs. Hermansson wrestling event can be purchased for $9.99 on pay-per-view.
What do you think Khamzat Chimaev’s ceiling is in combat sports?