Khamzat Chimaev earned a title shot against Sean Strickland with his UFC 294 win over Kamaru Usman. But collecting on it may be tricky for the Chechen fighter.
On Saturday night in Abu Dhabi, Khamzat Chimaev defeated Kamaru Usman via majority decision (highlights here) to earn a title fight against middleweight champ Sean Strickland. But there may be some complications as far as claiming that No. 1 contender role.
When Paulo Costa was pulled from UFC 294 and Kamaru Usman subbed in, Dana White made it clear that the bout was now for a shot at the belt. Was that decision just extra sizzle for a card that had gone through massive changes at the top of the card? Maybe it was just an F-U to Dricus Du Plessis.
Whatever the reasoning, Chimaev has defeated Usman and is now next up for Strickland. He just has to hope he can claim his shot given issues with his ability to travel.
“I tried to finish him”
Khamzat shares a moment with Dana after leaving the Octagon at #UFC294 pic.twitter.com/Bcwboekgs2
— UFC (@ufc) October 21, 2023
In an interview with Chimaev’s coach released hours before his fight with Usman, it was confirmed that Khamzat is unable to travel freely due to his Russian passport and the ongoing war against Ukraine. There’s also the added wrinkle of Chimaev’s cozy relationship with Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. The U.S. government has heavy sanctions on Kadyrov and his associates due to a growing list of international war crimes.
“With this situation going on, the war, it’s hard for anyone to travel around the world with a Russian passport,” Chimaev’s coach Alan Nascimento told MMA Fighting. “Especially for a Chechen. I won’t go into details, but anyone who knows the story and is following what’s going on in the world knows that everybody is trying to corner Russia with sanctions. He’s living that.”
Chimaev recently emigrated to Dubai, and also just received a 10-year visa from Abu Dhabi. Nascimento said he hoped some sort of arrangement could be coming where Khamzat might travel on some sort of U.A.E. travel document.
That sounds promising, but even a U.A.E. passport might not be good enough if the U.S. State Department stays in the know on just how close Chimaev and Kadyrov are. At UFC 294, Kadyrov’s two sons were cornermen for “Borz.”
Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov’s sons, Ali and Adam, are in Khamzat Chimaev’s corner at #UFC294 in Abu Dhabi pic.twitter.com/AcyfN0oPum
— Karim Zidan (@ZidanSports) October 21, 2023
The clock is now ticking for Khamzat Chimaev to sort out his ability to travel. Sean Strickland just won the middleweight title against Israel Adesanya in September. That means he’ll be ready to defend sometime in early 2024. How fast can the wheels move for Khamzat to get a passport that lets him travel freely again?
The U.A.E. is notoriously tight when it comes to citizenship. Fortunately for the new middleweight contender, the UFC has strong ties with various powers in the U.A.E. government. They have been aligned with the emirate of Abu Dhabi for over a decade, and are increasing ties with Dubai. We doubt he’ll be standing in a long line down at some administrative office like a regular schlub.
There’s also another possibility: the UFC and Saudi Arabia recently announced a special March event to be held in Riyadh. A middleweight title fight between Strickland and Chimaev could be the perfect main event to kick off that relationship.
But, what do you do after that if Khamzat wins and still can’t compete in America?
For complete UFC 294 results, coverage and highlights click HERE.