Khamzat Chimaev revealed he spent approximately six hundred to seven hundred thousand dollars to build a wrestling gym for children in his village in Chechnya. In an interview on the Beyond The Win channel, Chimaev addressed critics who claim he fights for money, stating that financial resources allow him to help people in his community, including covering medical expenses for villagers in need. He dismissed criticism about his inactivity, emphasizing that he earns millions from UFC and even more outside the octagon through sponsorships and business opportunities. Chimaev expressed satisfaction with his UFC earnings and gratitude for living his dream while building the Khamzat Chimaev brand. He stated he has no time to respond to critics who talk without taking action.
Khamzat Chimaev has revealed he invested between $600,000 and $700,000 of his own money to construct a wrestling gym for children in his home village in Chechnya, offering a pointed response to critics who question his motivations for competing in the UFC.
Speaking on the Beyond The Win channel, Chimaev addressed those who claim he fights purely for financial gain, arguing that earning money at the highest level of the sport gives him the means to give back to his community. He described covering medical costs for villagers in need and framed the gym project as a direct example of putting his UFC earnings to work. He also pushed back against criticism of his inactivity, noting that his income extends well beyond the octagon through sponsorships and business ventures, and said he has no interest in engaging with critics who talk without acting.
Chimaev, 32, holds a 15-1-0 professional record and currently sits ranked first in the middleweight division with a top-ten pound-for-pound position. The UAE-based fighter trains out of Allstars Training Center in Sweden and has built a reputation as one of the most complete wrestlers in MMA, averaging 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes alongside 4.04 significant strikes landed per minute and a striking accuracy of 60 percent. Those numbers underscore the marketable brand he referenced, which he described as something he is actively developing alongside his fighting career.
Why it matters
- The investment illustrates how fighters at the top of the UFC pay scale are directing resources outside combat sports
- Chimaev's comments on inactivity signal he remains unconcerned by public pressure to return to competition on a set timeline
- His standing as the number-one ranked middleweight means any narrative he shapes around his career carries weight for the division's landscape
