Khamzat Chimaev has kept his cards close to his chest after being shouted out by United States President-Elect Donald Trump.
The Swedish middleweight contender is one of the most popular fighters in the UFC, and has clearly caught the eye of one of the most powerful men in the world. He most recently obliterated Robert Whittaker at UFC 308, and is now one of the top contenders for 185lb gold.
And President-Elect Trump may actually play a key factor in helping him to fight for the belt in 2025. Chimaev hasn’t fought in America since 2022, instead opting to compete solely in Abu Dhabi on a yearly basis.
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Donald Trump gave Khamzat Chimaev shoutout
President-Elect Donald Trump is a well-known fight fan, and has regularly attended UFC events with promotional CEO Dana White. He has a number of favorite fighters, particularly his outspoken supporters like Henry Cejudo, Colby Covington and Bo Nickal.
But one name that was surprising to see get the support of the controversial politician was Khamzat Chimaev. The middleweight joked that he would likely have a better chance of fighting in America if Trump were to defeat Kamala Harris earlier this month, which he did in a landslide victory.
Trump responded to a video of Chimaev’s comments on Instagram, branding the Swedish star “A great fighter”. He has yet, however, to confirm if he will make it possible for the fighter to compete in America once he has taken over the office from Joe Biden in January.
Khamzat Chimaev insists he wants to stay out of politics
After hearing of President-Elect Trump’s endorsement, Chimaev says that he was inundated with messages of support from friends on social media and by text. But he wants to steer clear of politics, and had a relatively muted reaction to the big shoutout.
“I don’t know,” he told Adam Zuba on his podcast Hustle Show. “Yes everyone texted me ‘Trump mentioned you’. Well he’s a big fight fan.. The head of the Chechen Republic supports me so much, he’s always there for me and roots for me.
“I’m not into politics, I don’t wan to say something abut this president or that president. We, common people, have no clue whats really going on in the world but I stand for peace. So if any President wants peace I’m with him on that.”
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