MMA superstar Khamzat Chimaev has switched his international allegiance ahead of his UFC return in a stunning career move.
The 29-year-old has registered six big wins inside the famed Octagon, most recently submitting Kevin Holland in one round last year.
He hasn't fought since his destruction of Holland at UFC 279 but is set to return to action at UFC 294 next month.
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Chimaev meets Paulo Costa in a pivotal UFC middleweight showdown in the co-main event of the Abu Dhabi card on October 14.
And ahead of returning to competition, 'Borz' will no longer represent Sweden.
Chimaev was born in Chechnya, but moved to Sweden when he was 19 and trained MMA at the country's famed Allstar Training Center in Stockholm.
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He's represented Sweden in each of his six UFC bouts. However, the 29-year-old has changed his international allegiance for his UFC 294 assignment.
According to his manager Majdi Shammas, Chimaev will now represent United Arab Emirates.
His clash against the Brazilian goes down in UAE.
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"He has emigrated, he is no longer Swedish," Shammas told Swedish outlet SVT Sports. When asked why, he replied: "He wanted to emigrate."
Per Shammas, Chimaev has been training in his new home for the past several weeks.
His fight against Costa will mark his middleweight return, having campaigned at welterweight. His match against Holland was a catchweight of 180lbs after missing the 170lbs mark to face Nate Diaz.
He has two wins at 185lbs as he boasts victories over John Phillips and Gerald Meerschaert.
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Topics: Khamzat Chimaev, UFC
Nasir Jabbar