Khamzat Chimaev looks at future ahead with renewed confidence under the guidance of the legendary Salim Selbievich

Khamzat Chimaev wants to rectify the fluctuating phases of inactivity that have become a subject of scrutiny from the MMA community. The 30-year-old wants to launch a fresh chapter with the rescheduled fight against Robert Whittaker at UFC 308, and it seems like he's leaving no stone unturned in preparation.

The undefeated UFC fighter chimaev-fulfilling-fan-s-request-body-shot-gut" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">recently linked up with legendary trainer Salim Selbievich, a highly esteemed wrestling coach from Russia. He trained Buvaisar Saitiev, one of the greatest freestyle wrestlers in the history of the sport, before the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

Chimaev posted a picture with Selbievich on Instagram and captioned the post:

"My training camp was joined without fear of these words by the legendary trainer, honored coach of the USSR and Russia, Salim Selbievich Nutsalkhanov."

He added:

Knowing what famous and legendary athletes and wrestlers Salim Selbievich trained, his presence in the team gives extra strength, motivation and, of course, additional input of new tricks into the wrestling direction. According to the will of the Almighty, we confidently go to the previous goal, creating reasons."

Check out the post below:

Chimaev hasn't competed since he secured a majority decision win over Kamaru Usman at UFC 294 in October 2023. He was scheduled to take on Whittaker at UFC Saudi Arabia in June 2024 but was forced to pull out of the contest due to an illness. Ikram Aliskerov stepped in as a replacement to challenger Whittaker and lost the fight by knockout in the first round.

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Robert Whittaker previews upcoming fights against Khamzat Chimaev

Khamzat Chimaev pulling out from his scheduled main event assignment against Robert Whittaker at UFC Saudi Arabia didn't stop the Australian from delivering a statement-making effort against Ikram Aliskerov. The former UFC middleweight champion posted his first knockout win since April 2017 and currently occupies the No.3 rank on the 185-pound ladder.

Chimaev will return to action on Oct. 26 at UFC 308 in a rescheduled bout against Whittaker. The event will take place at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Previewing the upcoming clash in a recent interview with Submission Radio, Whittaker said:

"I think skill-set-wise, I’m probably at the best I’ve been. I’ve been especially most prepared for Khamzat, theoretically speaking as I could be, right? Yeah, definitely that high-paced start and his wrestling prowess... You got to worry about how hard he’s going to push the wrestling envelope in the first few rounds. And then, like, what I’m going to do after that after I stop the takedowns after I get back up or whatever, and just taking the fight to him.”

Catch Whittaker's comments below (9:30):