Khamzat Chimaev
"Borz"
Wins on the mat — every scramble is a trap.
Fight Plan: Khamzat Chimaev
A coach-ready game plan — historical weaknesses opponents have exploited and what to drill in camp.
- Gas tank depletes significantly after the first two rounds of high-intensity grappling
- Often ignores defensive striking fundamentals when pursuing the finish
- Drill takedown defense and cage-wall scrambles
- High-pace pressure in rounds 2–3 to drain output
- Stack southpaw sparring partners in camp
- Underhook battles and posture work off the back
Fighter fingerprint
Six-axis profile — the shape tells you the style at a glance.
Wrestling and Distance Control are the standout edges; opponents should expect their game plan to lean on these.
- Aggression79
- Cardio72
- Wrestling99
- Fight IQ80
- Distance Control85
- Finishing80
Prep for camp: Khamzat Chimaev
Recommendations a coach can act on tomorrow — opponent tendencies, drills, and the sparring styles to stack against this fight.
- Initiates an explosive blast double-leg takedown within the first 10 seconds of the fight
- Uses relentless chain wrestling to transition from failed shots to back-takes or mat returns
- Imposes heavy top pressure while searching for early neck-based submissions like the RNC or Face Crank
- Drill reactive sprawls — bait the shot off your right hand
- Pad work on cutting their right-side cage exits
- Force a high-pace round 1 — break the gas tank early
- Win exchanges with volume, not single shots — they walk through power
- Posture and frame drills off bottom — never give up the back
- Southpaw pressure striker
- Chain-wrestling D1 partner
- High-output kickboxer with heavy leg kicks
- Black-belt grappler comfortable on bottom
See it on film
Every read above should be verifiable. Jump straight to the footage on the platforms that host it legally — official channels first, archive sites second.
Entries, cage control, scrambles, submissions
Last 3 performances, full rounds and post-fight breakdowns
Coaches: official clip embeds per fighter are coming next — for now, deep links open searches pre-filtered to Khamzat Chimaev.
How Khamzat has changed
Trend lines across the last three years of tape.
Synthesized from recent fight tape · refresh to recompute
Stylistic neighbors
Closest matches across attributes, finish profile, and discipline — useful for sparring partner selection.
Status / Injuries
Recovered from health complications that affected previous activity levels.
Checked 6/21/2026
Recent Form
- L2026-05-09vs Sean StricklandDecision (Split) · R5 · UFC 328
- Wvs Dricus Du PlessisUFC 319
Availability
Transitioned representation to UAE and continues to compete at Middleweight.
Attribute Profile
Scouting Summary
Chimaev is arguably the most dominant front-runner in MMA, utilizing elite freestyle wrestling to neutralize opponents immediately. While his first-round pace is nearly impossible to maintain, his grappling efficiency and submission threats make him a danger to any middleweight on the roster.
Primary source ↗Tendencies
- Initiates an explosive blast double-leg takedown within the first 10 seconds of the fight
- Uses relentless chain wrestling to transition from failed shots to back-takes or mat returns
- Imposes heavy top pressure while searching for early neck-based submissions like the RNC or Face Crank
- Stalks opponents with high-impact power punches if forced to stand to create opportunities for the clinch
Signature Moves
- Blast Double Leg
- Rear-Naked Choke
- Cradle Mat Return
- D'Arce Choke
- Overhand Right
Weaknesses
- Gas tank depletes significantly after the first two rounds of high-intensity grappling
- Often ignores defensive striking fundamentals when pursuing the finish