Footage has emerged of Khamzat Chimaev's first amateur MMA bout, which took place in September 2017 in Sweden. Chimaev finished the fight with a submission in the second round against opponent Khaled Laalam. He went on to win three amateur fights total before transitioning to professional MMA the following year. The fight occurred under the Fight Club Rush organization, which continues to hold events and is broadcast on UFC Fight Pass. Chimaev's opponent Laalam currently holds a 7-1 professional record and competes in UAE Warriors.
Footage has emerged showing Khamzat Chimaev competing in his very first amateur MMA bout, a submission victory recorded in September 2017 in Sweden under the Fight Club Rush banner.
In the video, a much younger Chimaev dispatches Khaled Laalam via submission in the second round. The bout offers a rare early glimpse of the fighter before he became one of the sport's most dominant forces. Chimaev would go on to compile a three-fight amateur record before making his professional debut the following year. Fight Club Rush, the organization that hosted the contest, remains active today and broadcasts its events on UFC Fight Pass.
Now 32 years old and representing the United Arab Emirates, Chimaev has grown into the top-ranked middleweight contender in the UFC, sitting at number one in the division and number ten in the pound-for-pound rankings. He carries a professional record of 15-1 and trains out of Allstars Training Center. His numbers inside the cage are striking: he lands 4.04 significant strikes per minute at a 60 percent accuracy rate, and his grappling is equally menacing, averaging 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes alongside 1.8 submission attempts in the same window. The ground work on display in that 2017 clip was clearly a foundation he has continued to build upon.
His opponent that evening, Laalam, has since carved out a professional career of his own, posting a 7-1 record while competing for UAE Warriors.
Why it matters
- The footage provides rare historical context for one of the UFC's most discussed fighters at middleweight
- Chimaev's amateur roots in Sweden under Fight Club Rush connect back to a promotion still active on UFC Fight Pass
- Laalam's respectable 7-1 professional record adds credibility to the archival clip as a legitimate competitive performance
