Imago
Credits: IMAGO
Imago
Credits: IMAGO
Khamzat Chimaev has built his whole reputation on making impossible fights look easy. He ragdolls elite opponents, puts pressure on contenders, and conducts himself with such confidence as if he fears no one. But even ‘Borz’ knows there is a fine line between bravery and stupidity.
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That line was apparent when Kyle Snyder was floated as a possible opponent for ‘Borz’ in Real American Freestyle. And Khamzat Chimaev did something unusual: he openly confessed that the matchup makes little sense for him.
“I could grapple Bo Nickal,” he told Adam Zubayraev. “But how does it make sense to wrestle an Olympic champion?”
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“I didn’t spend years in the gym doing thousands of double leg entries.”
Khamzat Chimaev says he would face Bo Nickal in RAF but admits Kyle Snyder may be too good for him
— Dovy🔌 (@DovySimuMMA) April 29, 2026
“I could grapple Bo Nickal, but how does it make sense to wrestle an Olympic champion”
I didn’t spend years in the gym doing thousands of double leg entries”
via @AdamZubayraev pic.twitter.com/MsmBlcSzzK
It wasn’t fear talking. It was about perspective. Khamzat Chimaev realizes that pure wrestling at the greatest level is a separate skill, one built on thousands upon thousands of repetitions in a very specific discipline—something he has never dedicated his life exclusively to.
Here’s where he differs from most champions of his era. You could name many UFC stars who have floated the idea of boxing big names for the bag. They all believe in their hands. Ilia Topuria, Kamaru Usman, Jorge Masvidal, Conor McGregor… the list goes on. Even Khabib Nurmagomedov himself floated the idea of him facing Floyd Mayweather in boxing. All of them were confident in their hands, despite all the evidence favoring pure boxers against MMA boxers.
Khamzat is keeping it real. His realm of grappling is more violent and dynamic. He has to worry about his opponent throwing strikes while on his back. He could be welcomed with a knee flush to the temple when he shoots for the takedown. And don’t even get started on those slicing elbow strikes from the guard or the mount.
Kyle Snyder will have none of those things to worry about on the wrestling mat. Neither will Khamzat, but keeping a pure wrestler at bay—especially an Olympic champion—will be a tall order. It will not be as easy as lifting and swinging around a retired Daniel Cormier. ‘Borz’ is humble enough to know the difference.
That’s what makes his point so interesting. For years, fight fans optimistically have been believing that dominant MMA wrestlers would easily excel against world-class Olympic wrestlers. However, ‘Borz’ doesn’t view it this way.
Khamzat Chimaev explains what differentiates MMA wrestling from the Olympics
In Khamzat Chimaev’s opinion, MMA wrestling is a completely different sport. According to the middleweight champion, MMA wrestling is not just about taking control, it is also marked by punches, submissions, cage control, and the constant threat of punishment.
“I’ve even seen comments saying an Olympic champion could become a UFC champion, but that’s very unlikely,” he told Adam Zubayraev. “Being a wrestler is one thing; being a fighter is completely different.”
And to make that point, he brought up the best examples possible: Islam Makhachev, Ilia Topuria, and Arman Tsarukyan.
“Islam Makhachev—everyone thinks he’s just a wrestler,” he continued. “But what wrestler? Islam has knocked people out, and I’ve knocked people out, too. Ilia Topuria grapples well, and Arman Tsarukyan grapples well, too.
“In wrestling, you shoot for takedowns, but you don’t get punished the same way.”
According to ‘Borz,’ Makhachev is often lazily labeled “just a wrestler,” yet he knocks people out. ‘El Matador’ can grapple thanks to his Greco-Roman base, but he is also one of the most dangerous finishers in the sport.
Finally, Arman Tsarukyan has elite wrestling instincts, as he displayed in his RAF and UFC outings, but blends them with scrambling that pure wrestlers rarely face. And that is exactly Khamzat Chimaev’s larger point: being an Olympic wrestler is a completely different breed compared to MMA fighters when it comes to the mats. And the same law applies when a wrestler enters the Octagon. Constantly shooting for takedowns simply does not cut it anymore.
So, being aware of his training and MMA journey, Khamzat Chimaev wants nothing to do with Kyle Snyder just yet.
