Khamzat Chimaev Emigrates to UAE, Won’t Represent Sweden at UFC 294

Khamzat Chimaev will make his long-awaited return to the Octagon next month against Paulo Costa in the co-main event at UFC 294 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The Chechen-born finishing machine will no longer be representing Sweden, which has been his home since the age of 18.

Chimaev has been a long-time member of the Allstars Training Center in Stockholm and has been representing Sweden since his UFC debut in 2020. However, “Borz” has now reportedly emigrated to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and will be representing his new home when he faces Costa at UFC 294.

The news was revealed by his manager Majdi Shammas to Swedish outlet SVT Sport.

“He has emigrated, he is no longer Swedish,” Shammas said, while refusing to divulge any more information. “He wants to emigrate.”

The move coincides with Chimaev’s transition to middleweight. The 29-year-old missed weight by 7.5 pounds for his last outing at UFC 279 in September 2022, which led to a reshuffling of the entire main card.