Footage has emerged of Khamzat Chimaev's first amateur fight, which took place in September 2017 in Sweden. Chimaev finished the bout with a rear-naked choke in the second round. He went on to win three amateur fights total before transitioning to professional MMA the following year. The fight took place under the Fight Club Rush promotion, which continues to hold events and is broadcast on UFC Fight Pass. Chimaev's opponent in that bout, Khaled Laalaam, currently holds a 7-1 professional record and competes in UAE Warriors.
Archival footage of Khamzat Chimaev's very first amateur mixed martial arts contest has surfaced online, offering a rare glimpse at the early days of one of the sport's most dominant current contenders. The bout took place in September 2017 in Sweden under the Fight Club Rush promotion — an organization that continues to run events today and airs on UFC Fight Pass — and Chimaev closed the show with a rear-naked choke finish in the second round.
Chimaev, now 32 years old and representing the United Arab Emirates out of Allstars Training Center, went on to win three amateur bouts in total before making his professional debut the following year. His rise from those Swedish regional cards to the upper tier of the UFC has been steep. Now ranked number one in the middleweight division and tenth in the pound-for-pound standings, the six-foot-two, 188-centimeter wrestler carries a professional record of 15-1. His UFC numbers reflect a fighter who is both high-volume and precise, landing 4.04 significant strikes per minute at a striking accuracy rate of 60 percent while averaging 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes.
The opponent from that first amateur appearance, Khaled Laalaam, has gone on to build a respectable professional career of his own. Laalaam currently holds a 7-1 professional record and competes under the UAE Warriors banner, meaning the man Chimaev submitted in 2017 is himself an active professional fighter.
Why it matters
- The footage provides historical context for one of the UFC's most physically dominant fighters at a stage before his professional record began
- Fight Club Rush's continued presence on UFC Fight Pass links the regional European scene directly to the sport's largest platform
- Laalaam's 7-1 professional record adds credibility to the early opposition Chimaev faced on his way up
