'Citizen of the World' Khamzat Chimaev Praises Countries He’s Called Home

Khamzat Chimaev recently cleared the air about his citizenship after acquiring a new passport.

Chimaev became an official citizen of the United Arab Emirates last week. This is the third country that “Borz” can now call his home. Born in the Chechen Republic of Russia, Chimaev moved to Sweden at just 19 years of age and now most recently to the UAE. Chimaev says both Russia and the Emirates are dear to him and he would love to be an inspiration to the youth in both countries.

“I’m grateful to the people who trusted me and gave me the opportunity to live both here and there,” Chimaev recently told Ushatayka. “Russia is my motherland and I represent the UAE. They always help me when I have fights. Abu Dhabi became a sporting hub. There are always events here. I’ll be happy to help the youth in these countries.”

After having built up his MMA career at the All Stars Training Center in Stockholm, Sweden, Chimaev has been blamed for deserting the country in favour of the UAE. However, Chimaev firstly notes he loves Sweden and still has friends there. He further revealed that he never had citizenship there and was only granted residency.

“I’ve never had a Swedish passport,” he said. “People thought I had a Swedish passport and I just left. I had residency there, I never had a passport. People say I abandoned Sweden. I didn’t, I have friends there. I love Sweden, I love my motherland Russia and the Emirates. I’m a citizen of the world, so to say.”

Chimaev is expected to be the next UFC middleweight title challenger after a first-round submission victory against Robert Whittaker this past October.

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