Khamzat Chimaev has responded to Petr Yan’s comments about his nationality.

Photo by Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC

Khamzat Chimaev outpointed Dricus du Plessis to become the middleweight champion at UFC 319 in August.

In doing so, he followed in the footsteps of Petr Yan by winning MMA’s greatest prize as a Russian.

The former bantamweight king sent a congratulatory message to Khamzat Chimaev, but in the same interview clarified that he doesn’t consider ‘The Wolf’ a Russian champion since he fights under the United Arab Emirates [UAE] flag after receiving citizenship in January 2025.

Khamzat Chimaev confirms his national identity

Khamzat Chimaev admits he was hurt when Petr Yan publicly questioned his national identity.

Even though he fights for the UAE, he’s proud to be Russian, and was surprised to get called out by someone he has a personal relationship with.

Khamzat Chimaev stands in the octagon at UFC 308

“I know Petr Yan personally, and he knows me. He knows that I speak the Russian language,” Chimaev told Aslanbek Badaev.

“We used the same training facility, and he says, ‘I don’t consider Khamzat [a Russian fighter]’. How come, if you speak with me in Russian?

“Well, let’s take a look at this. Yan became a champion long before I did, right? He started making good money. Have I built a gym in Russia? Yes, I have. I’ve built roads in Russia. I’ve been helping the youth in Russia.

“I haven’t built a gym in the UAE for anyone. I don’t help anyone there. As they are wealthy, they help me, and I help my people.

“Even his last name, that’s how I poked fun at him. How can a Chinese guy claim that a Chechen guy is not Russian?

“Of course, it bothered me a bit. I definitely represent Russia because I used to live here, and I grew up here.

“As long as people consider Chechnya a part of Russia, I am Russian.”

Petr Yan to headline UFC 323

Petr Yan - Journey to UFC Champion

Petr Yan is likely to ignore Khamzat Chimaev’s clap back, as he’s got bigger fish to fry right now.

Earlier this week, Dana White confirmed two title fights will headline UFC 323 on December 6.

Alexandre Pantoja and Joshua Van will clash for flyweight gold in the co-main event of the evening.

Bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili will put his belt on the line against Yan in the main event.

It’ll be a rematch of their March 2023 fight, in which Dvalishvili set a takedown record en route to a dominant decision win.