When Khamzat Chimaev got brutally honest about hard times before UFC stardom: "It was almost like jail"

Back in early 2024, Khamzat Chimaev had a sit-down on Smile 2 Jannah, an Islamic YouTube channel focused on current affairs. During the course of the interview, 'Borz' detailed what his life was like prior to the fame and fortune that came with his success in the UFC.

Unsurprisingly, Chimaev described it as a difficult, even harrowing, time in his life. In particular, his life as a fighter was one teeming with hardship, as he lived in his gym at the time.

"Yeah, it was, like, you know our gym was like... it's not on the top, we don't have windows, you don't see anything. So, when you go down, it's dark, and when everyone is going from the gym it's dark. Now, it has different gyms, big gyms. That gym was more for professionals, now our big gym lot of people can train with us, and in that gym... me and my friend, Bilal, he's sitting here as well, so everyone was gone. They put off the lights, it was dark inside, and I seven o'clock at day, so... we was sitting inside."

Moreover, the unbeaten Chechen touched on the financial difficulties of that time in his life.

"We didn't have so much money. Some of our friends did help us as well with the food, with the training stuff. That time was hard, and couple of months we was motivated, then I want to go back, work, be normal human, get the money, eat normal food, and then I come back, train harder, and then my friend, he's my brother Bilal, he wants to go back home and we both were like close brothers, and helping each other. When he had a problem, we could help. It was almost like jail."

Check out Khamzat Chimaev revealing the most challenging time in his life (17:46):

Now, Chimaev is one of the most popular MMA fighters in the world and is signed to the UFC, where he is one of its rising stars.

---

Khamzat Chimaev is expected to challenge for the UFC middleweight title next

Khamzat Chimaev's life is now a far cry from what it used to be. His circumstances no longer force him to live in windowless gyms. Moreover, the undefeated star is now expected to be the next title challenger for Dricus du Plessis in the UFC.

He is coming off a first-round submission win over Robert Whittaker, a former middleweight champion. It is the opportunity of a lifetime, and 'Borz' will look to make the most of it.