Emerging UFC star Khamzat Chimaev has not fought in the promotion since his October 2023 fight against Kamaru Usman. A plethora of injuries, illnesses and supposed visa issues have kept him out of action. The common consensus was that Chimaev was unable to fight in the United States due to his affiliations to certain individuals in Russia. However, that is not the case according to ‘Borz’ as stated in a recent interview.
The Chechen fighter has not fought in the United States since September 2022. During that time, it was heavily reported that he would not be granted entry into the country due to his close relationship with the warlord Ramzan Kadyrov.
The 47-year-old has been accused of major human rights violations due to which he is banned from entering the United States. In a recent interview, Chimaev busted the notion that he is not allowed to enter the States. When asked about the same he said,
“Of course they can, they did this last time. They got me the visa when they wanted it. Everyone says that I was denied a visa, so far we have not applied for a visa. I was told to wait and fight in Arab countries for now, and I am waiting. And as everyone remembers, recently at UFC 300 I was offered a fight to perform in Las Vegas. The main event against Leon Edwards.”
Khamzat Chimaev denies rumors of him being unable to fight in the United States due to visa issues:
“Everyone says that I was denied a visa. So far we have not applied for a visa.
I was told to wait and fight in Arab countries for now. And I am waiting.”
YT / Aslanbek… pic.twitter.com/u16IfRjNFn
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) July 19, 2024
He went on to add that when it is needed for the UFC from a business point of view, visa will get sorted out to ensure that he can fight in the USA. ‘Borz’ also added that he will be looking to return to UFC action as soon as possible.
Chimaev finally addresses UFC Saudi Arabia pull out
Chimaev has also shed light on why he was forced to pull out of the card. For the unversed, he was supposed to take on Robert Whittaker at UFC Fight Night in Saudi but had to pull put at the 11th hour. This angered a lot of fans and even UFC President Dana White seemed frustrated at the lack of availability of the fighter.
He started off by saying that has immunity has been severely compromised over the last few months. ‘Borz’ stated that he was taken to the hospital as he had severe headaches and threw up a few times.
Upon reaching the hospital the doctors advised him to take a three week vacation to recover and get back to normal. However, Chimaev did not listen and began training again due to which he was admitted for a second time. It was at this point that he was forced to pull out of the fight.
