Petr Yan’s recent comments about Khamzat Chimaev’s nationality haven’t gone unnoticed by the newly crowned middleweight champion.
Chimaev clinched the title at UFC 319 in August with a decision win over Dricus du Plessis, marking a significant moment in his career.
The victory added to an impressive run of results, which included wins over Gilbert Burns, Kamaru Usman and Belal Muhammad.
While Chimaev was born in Chechnya and holds Swedish citizenship, he has been representing the UAE since gaining citizenship there earlier this year. Yan, speaking from Russia, made it clear that he doesn’t see Chimaev as a Russian champion because of this change.
Yan is expected to move up from bantamweight to featherweight soon, where several exciting matchups await him against top names in the division like Brian Ortega and Alexander Volkanovski.
Khamzat Chimaev speaks out on his national identity
Khamzat Chimaev has admitted he was caught off guard by Petr Yan’s public comments about his nationality.
Despite representing the UAE, Chimaev is still proud of his Russian roots and didn’t expect criticism from someone he knows personally.
“I know Petr Yan personally, and he knows me. He knows that I speak the Russian language,” Chimaev told Aslanbek Badaev.
“We used the same training facility, and he says, ‘I don’t consider Khamzat [a Russian fighter]’. How come, if you speak with me in Russian?
Chimaev went on to highlight what he’s done for Russia compared to what Yan has given back:
Petr Yan set for UFC 323 headline bout
Petr Yan probably won’t pay much attention to Chimaev’s remarks, as he has more pressing matters ahead. Earlier this week, Dana White announced that two title fights will headline UFC 323 on December 6.
READ MORE: Kevin Holland jokes about Dana White panicking after his post-fight pasta incident
Alexandre Pantoja and Joshua Van are set to meet for the flyweight belt in the co-main event. In the main event, bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili will defend his title against Yan.
This will be a rematch of their March 2023 meeting, where Dvalishvili dominated and set a takedown record along the way.
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