Getty Conor McGregor calls out during a ceremonial weigh-in for UFC 246.
In many MMA fans’ eyes, the biggest star to leave UFC’s Fight Island was Khamzat Chimaev, an undefeated Russian-born fighter who set a record on Saturday for earning back-to-back victories in 10 days. And the rising star just called out the biggest name in MMA, Conor “Notorious” McGregor, after the Irishman commented on a photo of him.
The fighter made his UFC debut in the middleweight division on July 15 during UFC on ESPN 13 when he submitted John Phillips in the second round. Chimaev then made a 10-day turnaround, competing on the last Fight Island card of July, UFC on ESPN 14. The Russian drew Rhys McKee at welterweight, who was making his UFC debut, and he finished McKee by first-round TKO.
With both fights in the books, Chimaev broke the UFC record for earning two victories within the quickest turnaround time.
GettyKhamzat Chimaev of Czechia (L) punches Rhys McKee of Northern Ireland in their welterweight fight on July 25 at Yas Island.
Chimaev’s call out stemmed from a comment McGregor made on the official UFC Instagram account. The promotion posted about Chimaev, and, as reported by RT, McGregor wrote “Rat lip” in the comment section before quickly deleting it. See a screenshot of McGregor’s comment below:
Chimaev took to Twitter on Monday to take a shot at the Irishman, and asked UFC president Dana White to give him “dessert.” Chimaev tweeted: “@TheNotoriousMMA Tab machine king chicken heart @danawhite i’m hungry give me Give me dessert.”
Chimaev’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, also tweeted: “@TheNotoriousMMA you don’t learn your lesson why do you keep talking you keep digging your own grave.”
@TheNotoriousMMA you don’t learn your lesson why do you keep talking you keep digging your own grave
Chimaev’s manager and McGregor have a rocky past as Abdelaziz manages many of Notorious’ rivals, including UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov, interim lightweight champ Justin Gaethje and welterweight champ Kamaru Usman.
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Chimaev Has Been Compared to Khabib Nurmagomedov
Some in the MMA community have compared Chimaev, who is born in Chechnya, Russia, to lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov, who is born in Dagestan, Russia. They both have similar physical features and impose deadly grappling on their opponents.
During a post-fight interview after defeating McKee, Chimaev was asked about the comparison. He responded (h/t MMA Mania):
I like this guy, this guy is, I think I don’t know, pound for pound number one. Yeah, I think he’s pound for pound number one. He’s 28 wins? Yeah. But soon … I’m going to be pound for pound number one. I’m gonna be champion. I have eight fights, eight finishes. I destroyed everybody. I’m going to do this. Next fight also.
Chimaev Is Confident That He Will Become a Champion in 1 to 2 Years
Chimaev is just getting started in the UFC. During the same post-fight interview, he was asked how long it would take for him to compete for the welterweight strap.
He answered: “For me it doesn’t matter. I don’t know, but I want to take this belt in one, two years? As soon as possible I’m going to take this. I know it’s not like movie, like Rocky Balboa. Like he want to fight and get the title shot. I’m going to take this soon.”
Chimaev has a professional MMA record of 8-0, with five of the victories coming via TKO or KO, and the other three by submission. He currently lives and trains in Sweden, and he is a training partner of UFC star Alexander Gustafsson.
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