Khamzat Chimaev is fighting for more than just his own personal glory.
“Borz” believes he represents all Muslims, much like former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and current welterweight contender Belal Muhammad. That’s why UFC middleweight champion, Sean Strickland, should be afraid of facing Chimaev inside the Octagon.
“Tarzan” previously denied Chimaev his crack at the 185-pound crown at UFC 294.
“He has to be afraid,” Chimaev told Mohammed Hijab on YouTube. “I’m coming for him. The fight’s in the cage. If we can make some people happy who are going through hard times, all Muslims watching us, me and Khabib [Nurmagomedov], all of the Muslim fighters, Belal [Muhammad], we know all the kids watching want to be like us, they want to be strong people. Inshallah, we try to be a good picture for them. Sean Strickland, all these guys, they should be afraid of us. We fight not just for us like they do, we fight for all Muslims.”
Conversely, Chimaev does not make weight for all Muslims.
Chimaev, 29, is currently on the sidelines awaiting his next assignment. As for Strickland, he’s scheduled to defend his middleweight title against No. 2-ranked contender Dricus Du Plessis — no fan of “Borz” — in the upcoming UFC 297 pay-per-view (PPV) main event, locked and loaded for Sat., Jan. 20, 2024 inside Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
To see who else is fighting at UFC 297 click here.