Khamzat Chimaev Net Worth

What Is Khamzat Chimaev's Net Worth?

Khamzat Chimaev is an Emirati professional freestyle wrestler and mixed martial artist who has a net worth of $4 million. Khamzat Chimaev competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship's Middleweight division. In freestyle wrestling, he won gold medals at the Swedish Championships at 86 kg in 2015 and 2016 and at 92 kg in 2018. In the 86 kg weight class, Chimaev also won the 2015 Lilla Mälarcupen Championships and Hammarslaget Championships and the 2016 Solacup Championships. As of October 2024, he was ranked the #3 UFC middleweight fighter, and as of July 2025, he was ranked #14 in the men's pound-for-pound rankings.

Career Earnings/Biggest Purses

Khamzat Chimaev's UFC earnings have grown rapidly since his 2020 debut, evolving from modest fight-night checks to seven-figure payouts. In his first few fights, including wins over John Phillips and Rhys McKee, Chimaev reportedly earned around $80,000–$115,000 per bout, thanks to base pay, win bonuses, and $50,000 performance awards. His paycheck rose steadily, with estimated payouts of $150,000–$200,000 for fights against Gerald Meerschaert and Li Jingliang. Chimaev's breakout payday came at UFC 279, where he earned over $1 million for defeating Kevin Holland. He topped that with an estimated $2.35 million total payout—factoring in base pay, bonuses, and PPV shares—for his 2023 win over Kamaru Usman at UFC 294. Most recently, at UFC 308, he reportedly earned around $1.05 million for his victory over Robert Whittaker. Across his UFC career, Chimaev has now earned an estimated $3.6 to $4.3 million, making him one of the highest-paid rising stars in the promotion.

(Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

Early Life

Khamzat Chimaev was born Khamzat Khizarovich Chimaev on May 1, 1994, in Gvardeyskoye, Chechnya, Russia. He comes from a Chechen family. Chimaev began wrestling when he was five years old, and he reportedly won a bronze medal at the junior level at the Russian National Championships. In 2013, 18-year-old Khamzat and his mother emigrated to Sweden, where his older brother, Artur, lived. Though he lived in Sweden for many years, Chimaev kept his Russian citizenship and never obtained Swedish citizenship. He relocated to the United Arab Emirates in 2023.

Career

After he moved to Sweden, Khamzat wrestled at BK Athén and a few other clubs. He was considered one of the country's best wrestlers, and he won gold medals at the Swedish Freestyle National Championships in 2015 (86 kg), 2016 (86 kg), and 2018 (92 kg). Chimaev had an overall record of 12–0 in the tournament with a combined score of 105 points. He also competed in judo tournaments and combat sambo fights. At the age of 23, Khamzat began training in mixed martial arts. He trained in Stockholm at Allstars Training Center, and during a 2019 press conference, one of his training partners, future UFC Hall of Famer Alexander Gustafsson, said that Chimaev was one of the greatest fighters he had trained with. Khamzat told ESPN that he was inspired to start training to be an MMA fighter after he saw a 2015 fight between Connor McGregor and José Aldo. He stated, "I was watching his [McGregor's] fight. I was watching him fight Aldo. I was sitting in night and was working. I was taking rest for 15 minutes and watched his fight. I always look at that like if the guys make so many money like millions and this stuff, why I can't do it now. I'm a fighter, I'm a warrior and I have something special inside me. I had to find some way and take out this to show to the people." Chimaev participated in three amateur MMA fights between September 2017 and April 2018, winning them all.

On May 26, 2018, Khamzat turned professional and defeated Gard Olve Sagen via technical knockout at International Ring Fight Arena 14. He won his next fight, against Ole Magnor, via submission with a rear naked choke at Fight Club Rush 3 in August 2018. Chimaev then signed with Brave Combat Federation, a Middle Eastern organization, and won his first fight for them, defeating Marko Kisič (who had previously been undefeated) via technical knockout at Brave CF 18 in November 2018. The following month, he defeated Sidney Wheeler via technical knockout just 35 seconds into the first round at Brave CF 20. At an April 2019 fight against Ikram Aliskerov at Brave CF 23, Khamzat won the Knockout of the Night award. In October 2019, he defeated Mzwandile Hlongwa via submission at Brave CF 27. It was expected that he would challenge Jarrah Al-Selawe in April 2020 for the BCF Welterweight Championship in Stockholm, but the event was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Chimaev signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, making his promotional debut in a middleweight fight against John Phillips at UFC on ESPN 13 in July 2020. He won via submission and received the Performance of the Night award. Ten days later, he fought Rhys McKee in a welterweight match at UFC on ESPN 14, winning via technical knockout and earning another Performance of the Night award.

In September 2020, Khamzat defeated Gerald Meerschaert via knockout a mere 17 seconds into the first round at UFC Fight Night 178. He received his third Performance of the Night award and earned the record for the fastest three-fight winning streak (66 days) in modern UFC history. Chimaev was then ranked #15 in the UFC welterweight rankings. His December 2020 fight against Leon Edwards was eventually canceled after both fighters tested positive for COVID-19 and Khamzat had a difficult recovery. In March 2021, Chimaev announced that he was retiring because of lung complications that resulted from COVID-19, but UFC president Dana White later said that Khamzat wasn't actually retiring and just got emotional after he experienced the effects of prednisone on his lungs while training. Chimaev returned to the UFC in October 2021, defeating Li Jingliang via technical submission at UFC 267 and winning yet another Performance of the Night award. Next, he defeated Gilbert Burns via unanimous decision in April 2022 at UFC 273 and won the Fight of the Night award. In September 2022, he fought Kevin Holland in a catchweight bout at UFC 279, winning via D'Arce Choke. He returned to middleweight at UFC 294 in October 2023 and defeated Kamaru Usman, a former UFC Welterweight Champion, via majority decision. In October 2024, Khamzat defeated Robert Whittaker via a face-crank submission at UFC 308 and won the Performance of the Night award.

Personal Life

Khamzat has a scar on his lip from when he fell on concrete stairs at the age of two. Due to the accident, he can't breathe correctly through one of his nostrils. In December 2020, Chimaev was diagnosed with COVID-19. He had lingering symptoms and had to be hospitalized several times. In early 2025, he officially became a citizen of the United Arab Emirates. Khamzat is friends with Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of the Chechen Republic. Kadyrov gave him a Mercedes-Benz, which Chimaev crashed a few months later. Khamzat starting training Ramzan's teenage sons in 2022, and on May 21st of that year, Kadyrov attended Chimaev's  wedding in Chechnya.

Awards

Khamzat has won UFC Honors Awards for Fan's Choice Debut of the Year (vs. John Phillips, 2020) and President's Choice Fight of the Year (vs. Gilbert Burns, 2022). He was also nominated for Fan's Choice Submission of the Year (vs. Li Jingliang, 2021) and President's Choice Performance of the Year (vs. Robert Whittaker, 2024). In 2020, the UFC.com Awards named him Newcomer of the Year and ranked him the #5 Fighter of the Year and the #5 Knockout of the Year (vs. Gerald Meerschaert). In 2021, he was ranked #9 in the Submission of the Year category (vs. Li Jingliang), and in 2022, his match against Gilbert Burns was ranked the #2 Fight of the Year. Chimaev won a UFC.com Award in 2024 for Submission of the Year (vs. Robert Whittaker).

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