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UFC middleweight fighter Khamzat Chimaev (13-0) might be a dangerous fighter, but he has an impeccable upbringing. His opponents might be intimidated by him, but one man intimidates ‘Borz’ the most: his father. Hailing from Russia, he started from rock bottom and was not born with any luxuries. He started his career from scratch, and today he stands at the pinnacle of success in the UFC. The fighter’s success can be attributed to his humble beginnings and the way his parents brought him up.
Recently, Chimaev revealed that he still gets scolded by his parents even when he is an adult. Whenever he does something wrong, he gets on the right path because of his parents. He shared a funny but profound incident where his father scolded him because he did something unacceptable.
Khamzat Chimaev recalls his father’s ultimatum
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According to the news from Red Corner MMA, he was scolded by his father when he showed the middle finger to some fans during a press conference. He counted the stories and said, “My father said he’d make me herd cattle for this.” The post was captioned with the words, “Khamzat’s father taught his son a valuable lesson with just a single line… That’s gold.”
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He elaborated on the moral lesson that he got from his father. ‘Borz’ said, “After I showed the middle finger at the weigh-ins, My father scolded me. It was a bad look for me, for sure. They( fans) showed me that sometimes you just don’t control it when you are young. Now as I have gained more experience I don’t act impulsively. I try to figure out what is the right thing to do. There were just some fans who showed me the middle finger.”
He said that since he was young, he retaliated and wrote the middle finger back to his fans; however, his father did not let it pass. His father warned him that he would be forced to herd cattle since he would not behave himself.
Chimaev had a hard childhood and had to struggle, especially after moving away from his home country against his wishes. He had worked as a bouncer and aspired to be a firefighter, but everything changed when they were deported.
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What’s your perspective on:
Did Khamzat Chimaev's father's tough love shape him into the UFC fighter he is today?
Have an interesting take?
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The Russian-born Swedish fighter had to go through a lot of hardship along with his family, and his childhood was war-stricken. He is also aiming for a comeback at UFC 308 after withdrawing from a June fight due to health concerns but Dana White has not said anything yet. Even so, he is always working hard and persevering. Because of his upbringing, he has an impeccable persona and he learned to respect others and be kind. Let’s dig deeper into his past and how he became who he is today.
Khamzat Chimaev’s hard childhood
During an interview with ESPN MMA, the heavyweight champion decided to open up about his childhood. He said, “I grew up in my religion in some small village, like yeah. It was a tough time when I was young. I remember that stuff as it was after the war. I came to this world when there was a world war, and yeah, it was a hard time without food.”
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He spoke about the small town of Chechnya and how it was devastated by war. He was very young back then and revealed that there was a war against Russia, which affected every single part of the country. He also revealed that, at present, everything was fine in his life, and he was inspired to do something for the people of this country and bring a smile to their faces. ‘Borz’ revealed the upheavals that he and his family had to go through like everybody else in the country at that time.
Chimaev also wished that this kind of war never happened again and nobody had to witness any devastation. Chimaev was supposed to fight Whittaker, but his health ruined the opportunity. Who do you think he will fight next?
Debate
Did Khamzat Chimaev's father's tough love shape him into the UFC fighter he is today?