Ahead of next month’s United States President election, Republican candidate and former President, Donald Trump has heaped praise on the unbeaten, Khamzat Chimaev ahead of his return at UFC 308 — labelling the unbeaten Chechen as aa “great fighter.
Chimaev, the current number thirteen ranked middleweight contender, is slated to co-headline UFC 308 this weekend in his return in Abu Dhabi, UAE — taking on former middleweight champion, Robert Whittaker in the pair’s rescheduled matchup over the course of five rounds.
Sidelined since he featured in the co-main event of UFC 294 last October on the same soil as his return this weekend, Chimaev improved to 13-0 with a controversial majority decision win over former undisputed welterweight gold holder and pound-for-pound number one, Kamaru Usman in the pair’s short-notice battle in the Middle East.
Donald Trump praises Khamzat Chimaev ahead of UFC 308 return
And ahead of his return to action this weekend, Chimaev — who has voiced his support of Trump in the past, received some praise from the Republican Presidential candidate, who described him as a “great fighter” ahead of his matchup with Whittaker.
Donald Trump shows love to Khamzat Chimaev on his IG story
“A great fighter!”
@KevinI #UFC #MMA #UFC308 pic.twitter.com/ogl1WnMmVO
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) October 24, 2024
Furthermore, rather recently, Chimaev hinted at some potential visa issues regarding his ability to travel and compete in the United States, claiming that as long as Trump is without the presidency, he would not be able to compete in the Octagon in North America.
“As long as Donald Trump is not the president [of the United States] we can’t come back to the U.S.,” Khamzat Chimaev told. “Maybe that’s the reason. Let’s not cover the truth.”
“But I’m not upset,” Khamzat Chimaev explained. “Whenever they let me fight I will fight. Whenever I get the belt let it be and even if I don’t get the belt, I will still be the champion without the belt.”