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Khamzat Chimaev stands as one of the most formidable figures on the entire UFC roster, yet even he admits there are challenges that would put him at a significant disadvantage. Just days before his inaugural middleweight title defense against Sean Strickland at UFC 328, Chimaev is also preparing for his anticipated RAF debut, having recently signed with the organization. RAF has attracted numerous UFC stars since its inception, but Chimaev could prove to be its biggest name, especially given his wrestling and grappling background.
While still awaiting information on his first opponent, Chimaev acknowledges that the level of competition in RAF will likely be against other fighters with similar experience, but he sees no point in facing the world's top wrestlers. This includes Olympic champion Kyle Snyder, who identified Chimaev as one of the few UFC fighters he would be interested in wrestling in RAF, should the opportunity arise.
"I could wrestle Bo Nickal," Chimaev told Adam Zubayraev on YouTube. "He also transitioned to MMA, he's an MMA fighter now. It's interesting to compete against fighters who are in MMA. But what's the point of wrestling an Olympic champion? What's the goal? It's more like a superfight. There's no real point in doing it right now. If I wanted to wrestle Snyder or Abdulrashid Sadulaev, I would have gone to the Olympics. What's the point?" he added.
Chimaev never lacks confidence when discussing his plans to crush any fighter who stands against him in the UFC, and after nine fights in the organization, he's been remarkably successful. But even he isn't too proud to admit that as dominant as he's been, brutalizing most of his UFC opponents, wrestling for MMA is vastly different from wrestling for Olympic gold.
"I haven't spent years in the gym, doing thousands upon thousands of leg entries," Chimaev said. "The last time I even worked on that was with Arman Tsarukyan – Arman was just joking around. That was seven or eight years ago, the last time I really tried. That's why MMA and wrestling are two completely different sports. I keep repeating it, but people don't understand," he concluded.
For his part, Snyder knows he would be at the same disadvantage against Chimaev in the cage as Chimaev would be against him on the wrestling mat.
"I saw he put out some tweet about sparring an Olympic champion and that he'd pay him $200,000," Snyder told MMA Fighting. "He's a good promoter, and I think it would be fun to wrestle one day if he ever wanted to."
"I don't know what the rules would be, because if it's just one round, I don't have boxing or jiu-jitsu experience. I'd probably get beaten up that way. But I don't know. I don't know what the rules are. Nevertheless, I would just like to feel what it's like. He's busy preparing for the fight with Strickland. He trains with Sam Calavitta, and I also work a lot with him. Maybe one day we'll meet, but I hope we compete against each other in RAF at some point. I love Khamzat. I love his competitive mentality. He just wants to dominate everyone. I like that attitude."
Snyder's desire to wrestle Chimaev stems primarily from his respect for him and the way he has torn through most of his competition in the Octagon. However, Snyder doesn't entirely disagree with Chimaev that the odds would be stacked against him in a wrestling match.
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