Khamzat
Chimaev recently cleared the air about his citizenship after
acquiring a new passport.
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Chimaev became an official citizen of the United Arab Emirates last
week. This is the third country that “Borz” can now call his home.
Born in the Chechen Republic of Russia, Chimaev moved to Sweden at
just 19 years of age and now most recently to the UAE. Chimaev says
both Russia and the Emirates are dear to him and he would love to
be an inspiration to the youth in both countries.
“I’m grateful to the people who trusted me and gave me the
opportunity to live both here and there,” Chimaev recently told
Ushatayka. “Russia is my motherland and I represent the UAE. They
always help me when I have fights. Abu Dhabi became a sporting hub.
There are always events here. I’ll be happy to help the youth in
these countries.”
After having built up his MMA career at the All Stars Training
Center in Stockholm, Sweden, Chimaev has been blamed for deserting
the country in favour of the UAE. However, Chimaev firstly notes he
loves Sweden and still has friends there. He further revealed that
he never had citizenship there and was only granted residency.
“I’ve never had a Swedish passport,” he said. “People thought I had
a Swedish passport and I just left. I had residency there, I never
had a passport. People say I abandoned Sweden. I didn’t, I have
friends there. I love Sweden, I love my motherland Russia and the
Emirates. I’m a citizen of the world, so to say.”
Chimaev is expected to be the next UFC middleweight title
challenger after a first-round submission victory against Robert
Whittaker this past October.