The rematch between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol ended up with a majority decision win for Bivol, making him the new light heavyweight champion of the world. But that also meant that Beterbiev was left heartbroken with the outcome after he accrued a setback in his perfect record. In their previous bout, it was ‘The Rabbit’ who claimed the win via decision. That was probably the reason why he expected to win once again. But the sulking boxer found support from Khamzat Chimaev.

Following the aftermath of the bout in Riyadh, the Chechen Wolf wasted no time in trying to cheer the former light heavyweight champion up. Well, that’s what friends do, don’t they? And ‘Borz’ suggested that Beterbiev could go on for a trilogy fight and settle the scores against Bivol. Taking to Instagram, Chimaev shared a picture of the Russian-Canadian professional boxer holding his championship belts. In the caption, the UFC #3 middleweight contender wrote, “Will always remain in the history of boxing [Artur Beterbiev] legend 💯.”

And that seemed to have succeeded in motivating the former light heavyweight boxing champion. Beterbiev shared Chimaev’s post on his Instagram Story and captioned, “We will come back stronger.” With a bit more work, we can actually expect ‘The Rabbit’ to come out victorious in a trilogy match, if it ever materializes. But till then, we can celebrate the friendship that Chimaev and Beterbiev share. 

Even before the rematch between Beterbiev and Bivol materialized, Khamzat Chimaev stood in support of the 40-year-old boxer. He shared one of his fellow Chechnyan’s social media posts on his IG Story and dropped a muscle emoji in the caption after tagging Beterbiev.

 And the boxer was also in awe of Chimaev’s performance at UFC 308. 

Artur Beterbiev praises Khamzat Chimaev after his UFC 308 victory

UFC 308 witnessed Chimaev’s return from severe sickness only to prove to every single soul that he deserved a shot at the middleweight title. He took on Robert Whittaker and not only defeated him, but he did so in style. ‘Borz’ showed agility that shocked his opponent and pressured him with his superior grappling skills. In the end, ‘The Reaper’ had no choice but to tap out of Chimaev’s vice crank. Even then, Whittaker was left with a broken mandible. 

Impressed by Chimaev’s performance, Beterbiev took to Instagram and shared a picture of ‘Borz’. In the caption, he wrote, “I sincerely congratulate my dear BROTHER, the renowned UFC fighter Khamzat Chimaev, on his brilliant victory in the co-main event of the UFC 308 mixed martial arts tournament! We wish Khamzat new achievements, health, and success in his upcoming fights! Onward to new heights! God bless you, YOURS!”

The praise and support have gone back and forth between Chimaev and ‘The Rabbit’ for ages. Back when Beterbiev established his stance by knocking Callum Smith out cold, the Chechen Wolf posted an IG Story with a gold medal emoji, followed by the boxer’s tag. And it’s certain that no matter the outcome of the Beterbiev vs. Bivol 3, Chimaev will stand in support of ‘The Rabbit’. 

What are your thoughts on Chimaev’s support for Beterbiev? Do you think he can defeat Bivol in a trilogy fight? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.