Khamzat Chimaev brought his newly won UFC title back to Chechnya.
On Saturday, Chimaev dominated Dricus du Plessis, claiming the middleweight title with a unanimous decision win in the main event of UFC 319. The victory made Chimaev the fifth Russian UFC champion (six if you include tournament winners) and the first to hail from Chechnya, and on Wednesday, “Borz” returned to his home country to much fanfare.
Getting off the plane while carrying his title, Chimaev was greeted by Ramzan Kadyrov, the head
of the Chechen Republic who has been heavily criticized by numerous international organizations for a wide array of human rights abuses perpetrated by his government. Kadyrov also faced several sanctions from the United States government over his human rights abuses, and for a time, Chimaev’s known association with him made it difficult for “Borz” to travel to the United States.
Those issues have been cleared up as Chimaev had no issue making it to Chicago for UFC 319, and it appears his relationship with Kadyrov remains close as he handed the belt to the dictator to carry as they posed for pictures amid the crowd of adoring fans, with Kadyrov sporting a Chimaev T-shirt.
Watch Chimaev’s triumphant return below.
