Khamzat Chimaev reveals that he was inspired by Conor McGregor to pursue a career in the sport of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). In an interview with ESPN, Chimaev remembers the night of McGregor vs Jose Aldo.
MMA was never the same after the rise of Conor McGregor. Although there were other superstars such as Brock Lesnar, Georges St-Pierre and Ronda Rousey, it was Conor who took the sport to the mainstream audiences throughout the course of his career. His career inspired a lot of fighters to chase after their dream and Khamzat Chimaev was one of them.
During the aforementioned interview with Brett Okamoto, the Swedish fighter recalled the moment that gave him the courage to start fighting. Talking about the McGregor-Aldo fight, Chimaev added that he felt he was better than Conor at every aspect of the game. Khamzat Chimaev said,
“I see the guys like knocking him out, I was thinking, if that light guy did that sh*t then why I’m at the end of it? Mentally I’m stronger that him, my body is bigger than him. And I was feeling if at that time, just meeting my outside I can broke him. You know? If he makes that money, why not me?”
Khamzat Chimaev wants to train Conor McGregor ahead of his return
Although fans may have expected Khamzat Chimaev to go after Conor McGregor, Chimaev did the opposite when he offered to train Conor. In a video interview on his YouTube channel, the 27-year old revealed that he will be open to helping the Irishman with his return. He added,
“If he wants to come back, if he needs some help, we’re here. If he wants to fight Usman, it maybe can happen. Because the guy is so famous. They can make good money, both. That’s why if they both want to fight, I think UFC will make it.”
If you want to come back we will help you, we are waiting for you in our camp @TheNotoriousMMA ???????? pic.twitter.com/xwMGUe9qve
— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) March 18, 2022
Conor McGregor is interested in fighting for the Welterweight championship as he eyes a return late this year. The 33-year old is slowly starting to get back in shape after his gruesome leg injury at UFC 264 against Dustin Poirier. Although the possibility of him fighting for the 170lbs belt is slim to none.
The fight everyone has been asking for ????@GilbertDurinho vs @KChimaev
[ #UFC273 | April 9 | @VyStarVetArena | Tickets ???? https://t.co/1KZvTNW7uF ] pic.twitter.com/6qrDJ7Wss6
— UFC (@ufc) March 6, 2022
Khamzat Chimaev on the other hand will return to action this weekend. He will fight the no. 2 ranked welterweight fighter, Gilbert Burns. With UFC president Dana White already giving his stamp of approval to this contest as the no. 1 contender fight, both fighters will look to deliver a standout performance.