Khamzat Chimaev seems to relish being the villain. Whether it is simply a character he plays to attract eyeballs or a genuine reflection of his personality is for the fans to decide. Whatever the case may be, many feel he does excel in the role.

From his threatening to kill his opponents to promising to make upcoming opponent Paulo Costa cry, the undefeated fighter has a knack for saying and doing the right things at the right time to build excitement around his fights. And recently, the middleweight’s coach made an explosive revelation regarding his nationality about him.

Khamzat Chimaev’s early life – Where was he born and brought up?

Khamzat Chimaev was born in the then-independent Chechen Republic of Ichkeria in the village of Gvardeyskoye on May 1, 1994. The independent republic later became part of the Russian Federation and is known as the Chechen Republic today.

Chimaev took to combat sports early and started wrestling at the age of five. He reportedly won a bronze medal at the Russian National Championships in the junior level as a young boy. At the age of 18, ‘Borz’ moved to Sweden with his mother where he continued his wrestling career, being recognized as one of the best freestyle wrestlers in the country.

Khamzat Chimaev changes nationality ahead of UFC 294

Ahead of his upcoming bout against #6 ranked middleweight Paulo Costa at UFC 294, ‘Borz’s manager Majdi Shammas has confirmed to STVSport that the Chechnya native has changed his nationality and become a citizen of the United Arab Emirates ahead of the event. While his coach has been quoted as saying that ‘Borz’ “is not a Swedish anymore”, both Sweden and the UAE permit dual citizenship. It is not clear whether Chimaev has surrendered his Swedish nationality or is a dual Emirati and Swedish citizen.

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However, it is clear that ‘Borz’ will not fight under the Swedish flag anymore, and would be representing the UAE from UFC 294, to be held in the UAE. The exact reasons behind why Chimaev made the move is unclear. However, there are widespread speculations that he did this as he was unhappy with the recent spate of Quran burnings in Sweden. What do you think about Chimaev’s move? Let us know in the comments section below.

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