5 best Khamzat Chimaev finishes outside the UFC

Khamzat Chimaev is a phenom unlike any other we've ever seen in the sport of mixed martial arts. The undefeated Russian-born Swede has barrelled through every opponent he's faced in his professional career and there's no way to properly ascertain what his ceiling really is.

Chimaev broke onto the scene with a pair of dominant performances in Abu Dhabi in 2020. He followed this up with a 17-second KO against UFC veteran Gerald Meerschaert, a first-round submission win over ranked welterweight contender Li Jingliang and a unanimous decision triumph over top-ranked contender Gilbert Burns.

Chimaev came into the UFC boasting a professional record of just 6-0, comprising six finishes. Before signing with the world's premier MMA promotion, 'Borz' fought for Sweden's Fight Club Rush and Bahrain's BRAVE CF.

His incredible performances in the aforementioned promotions saw him receive a call from the UFC relatively early on in his career. On that note, we thought we'd rank his five best finishes outside the UFC.

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#5. Khamzat Chimaev vs. Marko Kisic

In his third professional fight, Khamzat Chimaev took on undefeated Austrian ace Marko Kisic at BRAVE CF 18. Chimaev was just 24 at the time and was making his promotional debut against Kisic, who was two years older than 'Borz'. They squared off in Manama, Bahrain, in 2018.

The fight was a barnburner for as long as it lasted. From the opening bell, Chimaev walked down Kisic, putting him on the back-foot with relentless forward pressure. The duo found themselves trading in the pocket less than 20 seconds into the bout.

Despite dropping Kisic multiple times, Chimaev refused to engage with the Austrian on the mat. Rather, he kept telling him to get back up after every knockdown. Three minutes into the fight, 'Borz' landed a takedown and proceeded to drop some vicious ground-and-pound strikes, prompting the referee to call a halt to the action.

Watch the Khamzat Chimaev vs. Marko Kisic fight below:

#4. Khamzat Chimaev vs. Sidney Wheeler

Khamzat Chimaev was booked to headline BRAVE CF 20 a little over a month after his dominant victory over Marko Kisic. In his first main event clash under the BRAVE CF banner, Chimaev took on Sidney Wheeler in Hyderabad, India.

Wheeler was the more experienced fighter at the time. The American boasted a record of 8-3 going into BRAVE CF 20, while Chimaev only had three professional fights under his belt.

The fight started off in a frantic manner as Wheeler blitzed Chimaev, who ducked under and landed a takedown. From there, 'Borz' secured top position and proceeded to rain down heavy strikes on 'The All-American Kid'. Less than 40 seconds into the bout, referee Marc Goddard called a stop to the action.

Watch the Khamzat Chimaev vs. Sidney Wheeler fight below:

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#3. Khamzat Chimaev vs. Ole Magnor

In his second professional fight, Khamzat Chimaev delivered a performance very similar to some of his outings in the UFC. He took on a Norwegian fighter by the name of Ole Magnor at Fight Club Rush 3.

Chimaev started the fight as he always does, waiting for his moment to take his opponent down. He secured the takedown less than 10 seconds into the first round and mauled Magnor for four minutes before eventually locking in a rear-naked choke, putting his Scandinavian counterpart to sleep.

Watch the Khamzat Chimaev vs. Ole Magnor fight below:

Chimaev's win over Magnor was uncannily similar to his victory over ranked UFC welterweight contender Li Jingliang at UFC 267 in October 2021. Against Jingliang, 'Borz' secured a takedown and wore down his Chinese opponent before ultimately getting a first-round submission victory.

This sort of gameplan seems to be his favorite route to victory. In the wins over Magnor at FCR 3 and Jingliang at UFC 267, Chimaev didn't absorb a single strike. Expect him to deliver a few more performances identical to these in the UFC down the line.

#2. Khamzat Chimaev vs. Mzwandile Hlongwa

In his final fight before joining the UFC, Khamzat Chimaev locked horns with South African fighter Mzwandile Hlongwa at BRAVE CF 27. Both Chimaev and Hlongwa came into the bout with perfect professional records, making this contest a high stakes affair.

Hlongwa was a highly-touted knockout artist who was competing under the BRAVE CF banner for the very first time. All the wins in his professional career thus far came via KO/TKO and he was looking to add Chimaev to his list of victims.

The fight started in the same way as almost all of Chimaev's previous bouts. 'Borz' secured a takedown and controlled Hlongwa for the entirety of the first round, negating the the South African's striking prowess.

In the second round, Chimaev got a hold of Hlongwa's hips and lifted him into the air. Instead of directly taking him down, the Russian-born Swede carried his opponent across the octagon and dumped him in front of his cornermen. He once again controlled the exchanges on the mat before locking in a D'Arce choke that put Hlongwa to sleep.

Watch the Khamzat Chimaev vs. Mzwandile Hlongwa fight below:

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#1. Khamzat Chimaev vs. Ikram Aliskerov

Looking at the other four entries in this article, it's clear to see what Khamzat Chimaev wants to do every time he steps inside the octagon. 'Borz' is always looking for a takedown inside the first 10 seconds of a fight, and more often than not, tends to have his way.

In his penultimate fight under the BRAVE CF banner, he took on Ikram Aliskerov, a combat sambo world champion with a high-level wrestling pedigree. Aliskerov held a professional record of 8-0 at the time and many believed he would be the one to derail Chimaev's hype train.

Aliskerov's sambo background served him well in the first two minutes of the bout. The Russian managed to stop all three of Chimaev's takedown attempts in the opening exchanges and it became apparent very soon that neither man was able to hold his opponent down on the mat.

Realizing that he wasn't going to have his way, Chimaev ditched the wrestling and started striking with his Dagestani counterpart. Halfway through the first round of the fight, 'Borz' landed a picture-perfect uppercut that knocked Aliskerov out cold.

Watch the Khamzat Chimaev vs. Ikram Aliskerov fight below:

Khamzat Chimaev's victory over Ikram Aliskerov represented a lot more than just another win on his professional record. With all due respect, every opponent he faced before Aliskerov wasn't of a high level.

Marko Kisic has a record of 5-3. Sidney Wheeler retired following his loss to Chimaev, with his record standing at 7-4. Ole Magnor hasn't fought since 2019 and has a poor 4-6 win-loss ratio. It's evident that Kisic, Wheeler and Magnor aren't UFC-caliber fighters.

Today, Aliskerov boasts an impressive professional record of 12-1. He is a world-class fighter and currently competes in Khabib Nurmagomedov's promotion, Eagle FC. At just 29, he could very well join the UFC down the line and would be a real problem for anyone he goes up against, further highlighting just how good Chimaev is.