"Let him say it to my face" - Shavkat Rakhmonov reacts to Khamzat Chimaev insulting him in a deleted Instagram comment

Khamzat Chimaev recently commented on an Instagram post with a quote from Shavkat Rakhmonov where 'Nomad' said that he's not impressed with the Chechen-born fighter's skills.

The caption for the post reads: "Shavkat Rakhmonov not impressed with Khamzat Chimaev's skills" (translated to English).

'Borz' was not amused. He asked bluntly “Who’s that chump?!” and later deleted the comment. During a recent Q&A session with fans, Rakhmonov was asked what he thought of Chimaev's words. He answered:

"Let him say it to my face, not in comments. We’ll talk when we see each other. I’ve nothing against him. We’re just opponents and I’m not gonna insult him. I’m not gonna insult his family or nation. We’ll fight one day and then see who’s better.”

Another fan asked the Kazakhstani fighter if he was bothered at all by the situation. Rakhmonov replied that he tries not to focus on such things. To him, this is a sign that he's in Chimaev's head. According to 'Nomad', the Chechen-born Swede is getting worried about his rise in the promotion.

The No.15-ranked Rakhmonov has fought three times in the octagon and won all the fights before the final bell. His dominant performances have seen him break into the welterweight rankings in quick time.

Shavkat Rakhmonov was also asked if he thought Khamzat Chimaev knew about him at all, to which he replied:

“Surely, he does! How can he not know?! I’m the biggest fight for him! It’s not Burns or a title. We can fight in the cage or in the streets. If someone has something to tell, we can do it. If someone has ‘questions’ to me, we can do it anywhere.”

Rakhmonov said that if he bumps into 'Borz', he's going to confront him about what he said. Furthermore, 'Nomad' added that what happens when they meet depends on Chimaev's attitude.

Shavkat Rakhmonov is a Kazakhstani welterweight fighter with an unblemished 15-0 MMA record. Prior to signing with the UFC, he fought mainly in Russia. He’s a former M-1 Global welterweight champion.

Watch the video of Rakhmonov responding to Chimaev's comment below:

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Khamzat Chimaev says that he’s already a champion

During his UFC 273 pre-fight media scrum, Khamzat Chimaev gave his take on the potential title shot situation. The popular consensus among fans is that if ‘Borz’ wins on Saturday, he should be given a title shot next.

Chimaev stated bluntly that he’s already a champion because of his opponents’ hesitation to fight him. ‘Borz’ believes that people are fully aware of this:

“I’m already a champ. The guys don’t want to fight me. And I go out, I have surgery something. You want to go to the boxing somewhere. And he can fix his arm and we are going to go to the boxing. I don’t know. And other guy talks [I] didn't fight like somebody top 10 and they always find some excuses, you know. I’m ready, I’m already the champion, people know that.”

Khamzat Chimaev will fight Gilbert Burns at UFC 273 on Saturday, April 9. The event will take place at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.

You can watch Chimaev's entire pre-fight presser below: