Khamzat Chimaev is giving back to his local village in the best way possible.
The UFC fighter is preparing for his first crack at middleweight gold against Dricus Du Plessis on August 16th in Chicago.
Chimaev has been favoured by former and current fighters, with the UFC 319 backup opponent believing the fight is a 60/40 split in favour of ‘Borz’.
His undefeated record includes two victories against the division’s best, with a Kamaru Usman decision win and a dominant first-round submission of Robert Whittaker, convincing fans of his chances in the Du Plessis fight.
Khamzat Chimaev’s heartwarming plan to use his UFC money to give back to his local village
It is incredible to see how the fighter has developed since starting life out in a village in Chechnya, Russia to headlining arenas in America for the biggest MMA promotion in the world.
In an interview with ESPN MMA, he was asked about a plan to transform his village with a new facility.
Chimaev said: “Just gym for me, for the kids from my village, we didn’t have a good gym in my village, I would go to a different village to train wrestling and judo and stuff. We never had that kind of gym, so there’s not so many people living around there.”
He left his village for Sweden when he was 18 to continue pursuing his career as an amateur wrestler in the National Championships.
‘The Wolf’ revealed his motivations for setting up this gym in the community and why it would mean a lot for the people there.
“But I want to if somebody becomes a champ or he’s become a good fighter, makes money, and makes a good life around him and his people, I would be happy. So that’s why I’m doing that,” he said.
Khamzat Chimaev’s funny response to retirement rumours and lays out future plans
There had been some rumours that the Russian-born fighter would be stepping away from the Octagon after the middleweight title fight.
However, it seems highly unlikely given the response from the contender in the ESPN interview, where he laid out his ambitious plans for the rest of his career.
“I need money bro,” he joked.
“This is not enough, just to go for the one title. Hopefully, if I don’t get injured or some stuff, gonna defend the belt or fight for other belt in Abu Dhabi, as well.”
Eyeing multi-weight champion status could provide some interesting matchups at the divisions above, including a big fight against the winner of the Magomed Ankalaev and Alex Pereira.
But first, his sights are firmly set on dethroning South Africa’s first UFC champion in a contest which continues to split opinion.