Footage has emerged of 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 via rear-naked choke submission in the second round. He competed in a total of three amateur bouts, winning all of them, before transitioning to professional MMA the following year in 2018. His opponent in that debut amateur fight was Khaled Laalaam, who has since compiled a 7-1 professional record and currently competes in UAE Warriors. Fight Club Rush continues to operate and their events are broadcast on UFC Fight Pass.
Footage has surfaced showing Khamzat Chimaev competing in his very first amateur MMA bout, a September 2017 contest held in Sweden under the Fight Club Rush banner, offering a rare glimpse at the early stages of one of the sport's most dominant modern careers.
In the clip, a then-unknown Chimaev defeated Khaled Laalaam by rear-naked choke in the second round. That victory was the first of three amateur bouts Chimaev would win before turning professional in 2018. Laalaam has since built a respectable career of his own, compiling a 7-1 professional record and currently competing on UAE Warriors. Fight Club Rush, the promotion that hosted the debut, remains active and its events are available on UFC Fight Pass.
Now fighting out of the United Arab Emirates and training at Allstars Training Center in Sweden, Chimaev has grown into one of the most feared fighters in the sport. The 32-year-old holds a 15-1 professional record, ranks first in the middleweight division, and sits tenth in the pound-for-pound standings. His physical tools are formidable at six-foot-two with a 75-inch reach, but it is his statistical output that separates him from most. He lands 4.04 significant strikes per minute at a striking accuracy of 60 percent, while averaging 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes — a combination that leaves opponents with almost nowhere to hide.
Why it matters
- The footage provides historical context for one of the UFC's most dominant recent careers, tracing Chimaev's finishing instincts back to his very first competitive outing.
- Laalaam's subsequent professional success at 7-1 adds credibility to the quality of opposition Chimaev faced even as an amateur.
- The footage emerges as Chimaev sits at the top of the middleweight rankings, making early material from his development years a notable point of interest for the division's fanbase.
