Khamzat “The Wolf” Chimaev was impressed during the UFC’s recent run on “Fight Island,” winning TWO fights in the span of ten days but the Chechen-born Swede has shown off his softer ahead of his fight in Las Vegas this weekend.
Chimaev defeated both John Phillips and Rhys McKee with ease during the UFC’s summer residency in Abu Dhabi, vastly outworking his opponents on the ground – all while receiving just TWO strikes combined in both fights.
He will face a presumed uptick in competition when he fights experienced veteran Gerald Meerschaert at the UFC’s Apex facility, but ahead of what is the biggest fight to date in the 26-year-old’s career, he is still finding time to show off his humble side after footage emerged of Chimaev talking to, and then buying food for, a homeless man in Las Vegas.
The video shows Chimaev approaching a homeless man and talking with him. Later, he is seen walking with the man towards a McDonald’s restaurant where he goes inside and purchases him a meal.
Should Chimaev get past the 31-13 Meerschaert this weekend, UFC boss Dana White has already stated that he will attempt to put together a bout between Chimaev and submission specialist Demian Maia, a fighter whose skill on the ground has proven too much for a succession of grapplers – most recently evidenced by his submission of wrestling standout Ben Askren last year.
A win in that hypothetical bout, along with one against middleweight Meerschaert, would propel Chimaev to an impressive 4-0 start in the UFC – a feat which would be impressive given that he made his debut for the organization just two months ago.
The method of Chimaev’s two victories in the UFC to date have drawn comparisons to the suffocating style often employed by UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov in his fights, and it is thought that his fighting style could pose significant problems to the top-ranked fighters in the UFC’s 170-pound fold.
Chimaev trains out of the Allstars gym in Stockholm, Sweden, where recent footage leaked from a sparring session showed the promising welterweight dropping former two-time UFC light heavyweight contender Alexander Gustafsson with a body kick.
