Footage has resurfaced from Khamzat Chimaev's first amateur MMA bout, which took place in September 2017 in Sweden under the Fight Club Rush promotion. Chimaev won the fight by rear-naked choke in the second round. He compiled a 3-0 amateur record before transitioning to professional MMA the following year in 2018. His opponent in that debut, Khaled Laalam, is now 7-1 as a professional and competes in UAE Warriors. Fight Club Rush continues to operate and their events are broadcast on UFC Fight Pass.
Resurfaced footage is giving fight fans a rare glimpse at the very beginning of Khamzat Chimaev's rise, with video from his first-ever amateur MMA bout circulating online this week. The fight took place in September 2017 in Sweden under the Fight Club Rush promotion, and Chimaev finished his opponent, Khaled Laalam, by rear-naked choke in the second round.
Chimaev, now 32 and competing out of the United Arab Emirates, went on to compile a 3-0 amateur record before making his professional debut in 2018. Today he is virtually unrecognizable from that early version of himself in terms of profile and pedigree. Ranked first in the middleweight division and tenth pound-for-pound, "Borz" carries a 15-1-0 professional record and trains out of Allstars Training Center. His UFC numbers reflect a dominant all-around game — he lands 4.04 significant strikes per minute at a 60 percent accuracy rate, while also threatening constantly on the mat with 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes and 1.8 submission attempts in the same window.
The opponent from that debut, Khaled Laalam, has built a respectable career of his own. Now 7-1 as a professional, Laalam competes for UAE Warriors, making his trajectory since that September 2017 loss worth noting in its own right.
Fight Club Rush, the Swedish promotion that hosted the card, continues to operate and airs its events on UFC Fight Pass.
Why it matters
- The footage offers rare documentation of Chimaev's starting point before his rapid rise through professional MMA
- Laalam's 7-1 professional record adds retrospective credibility to the matchup
- Fight Club Rush's partnership with UFC Fight Pass means the promotion that first showcased Chimaev remains part of the broader UFC ecosystem
