UFC ace struggles to breathe and has scar from falling down concrete stairs

09/10/2022

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UFC superstar Khamzat ‘Borz’ Chimaev has amazed plenty of fans since breaking out onto the pro scene – and the Swedish ace has reached the top after overcoming plenty of adversity from a young age.

Chimaev, dubbed the Chechen Wolf, swept through John Phillips, Rhys McKee and Gerald Meerschaert via first-round TKO across a span of 66 days. He was subsequently named MMA Fighting's Breakout Fighter of the Year, and he has won each of his 11 career fights.

He appears to be destined for a long and successful combat career, showcasing impressive offensive and defensive abilities. It is a testament to his perseverance that he has reached the pinnacle of professional combat sport.

READ MORE: UFC descends into chaos as press conference cancelled amid 'brawl' with objects thrown

Especially when you take into account what he had to overcome following a terrifying incident at just two years of age.

The 28-year-old has a unique appearance due to a scar on his upper lip, which remarkably did not come from fighting. Chimaev sustained the scar aged two when he fell down a flight of concrete stairs.

As a result, the fighter still has trouble breathing from the incident. It makes his effort to reach UFC even more impressive.

Chimaev has already earned a reputation as a powerful punch striker, but his wrestling skills are even better. He began wrestling when aged five, and won a bronze medal at the Russian National Championships when he was 16.

At 17, Chimaev immigrated to Sweden and continued training as a competitive wrestler. Shortly after he started MMA training in 2018, he claimed gold in the freestyle wrestling category at the Swedish National Championships.

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Although he fought MMA in the 170-pound weight class at the time, Chimaev won gold for wrestling while weighing 202 pounds – all because he wanted to challenge himself as much as possible.

It will be interesting to see how Chimaev develops and continues to grow, but he has been in the headlines for the wrong reasons recently.

He missed weight by seven and a half pounds ahead of his main event clash with Nate Diaz at UFC 279, and has since been replaced by Tony Ferguson. It is the first time the fighter has missed weight since joining the promotion in 2020.

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