Khamzat Chimaev has come back under the radar of the fighting community after his first-round submission victory against Robert Whittaker, at UFC 308. However, there is more to the Chechen Wolf than meets the eye. One such thing that has garnered quite a bit of bombastic side-eyes was his relationship with the Chechen Dictator Ramzan Kadyrov. 

The former UFC heavyweight contender, Brendan Schaub, took to his talk show and revealed what he thought of ‘Borz’s relationship with Ramzan Kadyrov. He said, “There’s a lot going on behind the scenes with Khamzat that a lot of people don’t know about. That Chechen dictator, his two sons were his cornermen. Do you want that to be the face of the middleweight division? One of the faces of the UFC, knowing that there’s these ties to this horrible dictator. And not just ties. Not like, well no, they hang out after his wins and he throws parties for him, gives him land. No, no, no. He’s in the fam!”

Following Chimaev’s UFC 308 victory, his path to the middleweight championship title became just one fight away. As per many sources, he would fight for the MW gold against the winner of the fight between Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland. But there was a catch!

‘Big Brown’ continued, “If you’re DDP and Strickland, whoever wins that fight which they’re probably gonna do next, who wins that fight, you’re gonna ask that champ to only fight in the Middle East? Well, that ain’t fair. To make these guys go to the Middle East is insane, because his relationship with a dictator. That’s what we’re doing! Let’s see what these guys do. I can’t wait, dude. It’s insane! I can’t believe we’re talking about this.” Without a doubt, Dana White was put on high alert with Schaub’s concern. 

But there’s more to the story. Not too long ago, you might have heard that ‘Borz’ was denied a visa to the United States. This was indeed because of his association with the Chechen Dictator. But the undefeated middleweight fighter has a different narrative about it.

Khamzat Chimaev reveals the truth about his American visa

Chimaev’s support for the Chechen leader has been under scrutiny for a long while now. He has trained together with Kadyrov and his sons and has been visiting the leader for parties and celebrations. On top of that, Kadyrov provided ‘Borz’ with a boatload of expensive gifts. However, the US State Department sanctioned the Chechen leader for ‘involvement in gross violations of human rights’. Because of this allegation, Chimaev also seemed to have trouble while trying to acquire a visa to fight in the US. 

But ‘Borz’ claimed that it was nothing but a hoax. Talking to Aslanbek Badaev, he said, “They got me the visa when they wanted it. Everyone says I was denied a visa. So far we have not applied for a visa. I was told to wait and fight in Arab countries for now. And I’m waiting and as everyone remembers, recently at UFC 300 I was offered a fight to perform in Las Vegas. The main event of the evening was against Leon Edwards. Then they could get me a visa so I could fight there. When needed, business is working one might say.”

With the middleweight star back in action after staying away from the Octagon for a long time, he might soon display his tremendous grappling power on US soil. However, the controversies surrounding Chimaev seem to have made it difficult for the UFC CEO to make a certain decision. Nevertheless, the fight fans can soon expect ‘Borz’ to return with a howl for the championship belt. 

What are your thoughts on Schaub’s concerns? Will Chimaev’s relationship with Kadyrov hinder his road to success? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.