Khamzat Chimaev Offers Generous Reward in Gym Submission Challenge

Khamzat Chimaev has an ongoing million rubles (approximately $10,000) challenge at his gym.

The middleweight contender claims he hasn’t been submitted for a long time, even in practice. While he admittedly offers some vulnerable positions while training with youngsters, Chimaev takes it to another level during serious sessions. “Borz” has an open challenge offering a million rubles to anyone who can submit him in the gym.

Chimaev also said that his teammate Abubakar Vagaev is the one who has come the closest to submitting him in recent times. The Chechen-born Swede was in Vagaev’s corner when he dethroned Albert Tumenov via unanimous decision to win the welterweight title at ACA 183 on Saturday.

“Anyone who submits me during training gets a million rubles from me,” Chimaev told media at the post-fight press conference after ACA 183 via Home of Fight). “It hasn’t happened in a long time. When I’m fooling around with young guys, I give up my neck, but when we have a serious grappling match, I offer a million rubles to anyone. Let them come to the gym and try. Who came closest to submitting me? The guy sitting next to me [Vagaev]. I won’t point fingers, or it’ll be his moment of fame (laughs).”

With six finishes in eight UFC wins, the undefeated Chimaev is likely the frontrunner for the next middleweight title shot. The 30-year-old most recently submitted former champ Robert Whittaker at UFC 308 this past October.