Dana White has openly stated that Khamzat Chimaev is a fighter, unlike anything he has seen. This is significant, considering the numerous fighting talents he has encountered over the years. It seems the saying “tough times make tough people” isn’t wrong, as Chimaev, emerging as one of the toughest fighters on the planet, hails from the war-torn land of Chechnya. In a recent interview with Mohammad Hijab, addressing the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine, “Borz” shared his concerns, having gone through a similar experience himself.
Recently, Chimaev participated in a charity event for Palestine in collaboration with Hijab. Given his longstanding vocal stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict, he was pressed about his current thoughts on the ongoing situation. In response, he expressed that he has no words, only pain, for whatever is happening. He stated,
“You can’t say these things with the words man you feel in the heart. How hard is it? So everyone knows what happening in Palestine now. I’m almost the same country like this. We went through the same thing, so we had the war in the country as well. It’s hard. Kids dying, you know. We have seen in the movies kids dying, but now it’s in the real-life kids dying. So it’s hard. Inshallah, we hope soon it’s over.”
Many new fans of MMA may not be aware that Khamzat Chimaev, who now represents the UAE, originally comes from Chechnya. He was born just a few months before the war broke out with Russia, which continued until 2009. As a result, he spent much of his childhood in a war-torn country.
Consequently, with the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine, which has led to the deaths of many innocent people, he feels deeply saddened. And given his own experience, he understands the magnitude of such a tragedy.
The UFC superstar has no words to express his feelings, but he remains hopeful that the situation will soon come to an end. This is not the first time he addressed this issue.
After his UFC 294 win, Khamzat Chimaev shared a heartfelt message
After a dominant win against Kamaru Usman at UFC 294, Chimaev stated that he wasn’t happy fighting, considering what was happening in the world.
During a post-fight interview with Daniel Cormier, he shared a heartfelt message to stop the war and brutality, emphasizing that it applies everywhere, from Ukraine to Syria and other parts of the world. He requested everyone to contribute to making the world a better place. He stated,
“When kids die, it’s hard guys. I love the kids. I have a boy waiting for me there back home. He’s only 3 months. If he’s just crying, I don’t know how to feel. When somebody dies, guys, I don’t know what to say. Inshallah would be good in the world. I hope so. Christian, Muslim, Jew doesn’t matter. Please guys, be together. Let us live in this world. Let us be happy.”
Indeed, coming from a war-torn country, it seems the current situation has deeply affected him. Meanwhile, apart from his heartfelt messages, fans are now impatient to know when he is going to return and fight inside the octagon.
