Is Khamzat Chimaev undefeated? Taking a look at the UFC star's professional MMA record
Khamzat Chimaev is currently scheduled to take part in the biggest fight of his career. Come June 22, 'Borz' will lock horns with former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker at UFC on ABC 6. It will be the promotion's first-ever card in Saudi Arabia.
It is expected to be Chimaev's toughest fight to date. In fact, some even expect him to taste defeat, which would fully shatter his aura. But has he never lost before?
Khamzat Chimaev's record explored
Thus far, Khamzat Chimaev has competed in 13 MMA bouts. To no one's surprise, however, he is unbeaten. Not only are there no losses on his record, there aren't even any draws to blemish it. To further punctuate his dominance, he is a frequent finisher.
The Chechen phenom's first ten fights saw him finish every single foe he faced. Among his most viral finishes are his thunderous knockouts of Ikram Aliskerov and Gerard Meerschaert and his dominant submission win over Li Jingliang.
While Aliskerov is a fellow UFC roster-mate, their bout happened in the infancy of Chimaev's career. In only his fifth fight, 'Borz' faced the then-undefeated Aliskerov at Brave CF 23, where his opponent's defensive wrestling and world championship Sambo rendered him impossible to take down.
That did nothing to dissuade Chimaev from pursuing the finish, though, as within two minutes of round one, he timed a destructive uppercut that knocked Aliskerov out cold. Several fights later, in the UFC, he once again demonstrated his nuclear punching power by flatlining Meerschaert with a right hook within 17 seconds.
He followed that performance with a three-minute domination over Jingliang, lifting him off the canvas and carrying him to the other side of the octagon before submitting him with a rear-naked choke. Most of Chimaev's career has taken on this complexion of dominance.
However, two wins stand out as difficult. His unanimous decision over Gilbert Burns remains controversial, as 'Borz' struggled mightily against him, gassing out, getting outstruck, and even conceding an unofficial knockdown. It was the closest fans and fighters alike had seen Chimaev come to defeat.
In fact, bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley is of the opinion that 'Durinho' won that bout. This was similarly echoed after 'Borz's' recent majority decision win over Kamaru Usman, who stepped in on 11 days' notice to face him and was somehow the fresher fighter after round one.
Usman held the striking edge for the majority of the bout and thwarted his foe's post-round one takedowns. A draw or Usman win via split decision was expected. Instead, Chimaev won, which has brought scrutiny to his record. He is undefeated, but not in the fans' eyes.