Khamzat Chimaev fought two rounds with a serious injury! Yet he beat the former P4P ranking ruler and sent a heartbreaking message to the world

Khamzat Chimaev passed the toughest test of his professional MMA career when he defeated Kamaru Usman at UFC 294. He had to deal with a lot of adversity during the fight, but he still handled it well in the face of the former number one in the P4P rankings.

Khamzat Chimaev faced the toughest test of his career at UFC 294

Despite stirring up a huge wave of controversy, he is one of the hottest irons in Dana White’s fire. He stood up to the toughest test of his career. But in the course of it, he had to deal with some really big adversity. That’s all the more credit to him.

Just a few days ago there was talk of a cursed tournament, but the UFC 294 gala in Abu Dhabi offered everything. Exciting fights, controversial moments and plenty of crazy finishes.

Of course, the main event between the two champions attracted the most attention. In it, Islam Makhachev finished featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski with a crazy head kick in the first round, sweeping all speculation stemming from their February fight off the table.

But the main pre-fight was also of huge interest to the fans, with the winner promised a UFC middleweight title shot against Sean Strickland by Dana White. The victory in that bout was eventually snatched by Khamzat Khimaev, who defeated former P4P ranked number one Kamara Usman on points.

He defeated Kamara Usman, but fought two rounds with a broken wrist

He extended his unbeaten streak and improved his record to 13-0. But those who expected an aggressive ride from the first to the last moment, as is the Chechen fighter’s habit, must have been somewhat disappointed after three rounds.

Chimaev clearly dominated the first round though, taking it 10-8 on all judges’ scorecards. However, he visibly slowed down in the next two rounds and few recognized the ferocious warrior, who raced in every moment after the finish.

However, renowned ESPN journalist Brett Okamoto came up with an explanation for the whole situation. “Khamzat Chimaev revealed to me that he broke his hand during the first round,” he wrote on his Twitter/X account. The organization itself then revealed that it was most likely a fractured wrist.

He earned the respect of the fans with a heartfelt closing speech

The fact that he fought practically two full rounds with a fighter as experienced as Kamaru Usman, and managed to win, just shows what a great fighter Khamzat Chimaev is. If the reports are confirmed, he will surely get huge recognition.

He also earned the respect of the mixed martial arts world with his closing speech, which grabbed the hearts of more than just the fans in attendance. “You guys know what’s going on in the world right now,” he began his victory speech right in the cage.

“I wasn’t happy in the cage today. Either you fight this week or you’re gonna see kids die. It doesn’t matter where in the world, Ukraine, Syria, Afghanistan, Palestine, the US. It doesn’t matter. When children die, it’s hard, people. I love those kids.”

“I don’t know what to say. Muslims, Christians, Jews, it doesn’t matter, be together and let us live in this world,” he concluded his moving speech.

Khimaev is known for his role as a tough guy, which he supports with frequent trash-talking of other fighters in the organization. But beneath the mask, he hides an empathetic man who can empathise with the problems of ordinary people.

Source: UFC, Twitter/X