Khamzat Chimaev traveled to Ireland to “beat up” Conor McGregor
The scariest up-and-coming rising star in the UFC Khamzat Chimaev has gained the attention of the whole MMA community by destroying two opponents in a span of 10 days.
Even superstar Conor Mcgregor has taken notice. But Chimaev has had Conor McGregor on his mind long before he was in the UFC.
In a recent interview with Russian reporter Adam Zubayraev, Chimaev said he traveled to Ireland in 2018 to find McGregor and “beat him up” for comments he made about Khabib Nurmagomedov and Chechens. 
“At that time, I was fighting as an amateur or a pro record of 1-0 when that happened,” Chimaev said in Russian, as translated by Zubayraev. “It is that time when he insulted Khabib, and he also was talking about Zubaira (Tukhugov). At that time, nobody knew who I was. He was also talking about another guy who’s also Chechen.
I don’t remember his name, but he told us he knocked him out in a sparring session. My mind was blowing up at the moment, but I’m living here very close to him. I was thinking that I would catch him in the streets or at the gym and beat him up. This is what he deserved.”
According to Chimaev, he was stopped at the airport in Ireland and was apprehended, taken to jail, and shipped back home by the authorities without an explanation.
“Yes, I landed in Ireland and waited in an airport,” Chimaev said. “First, they stopped me a while, and then slightly they told me to go. Then I was going out. When I was going out from the airport, they stopped me again.
That time, there were guys literally in uniform. … Yes, there were (special forces), and they told me, ‘You cannot go anywhere.’ But I didn’t get what they meant. At that time, my English was very bad. Even right now, it’s not that good. … They drove me to the police station and kept me for eight hours.
“No, there wasn’t any interrogation at all. I was just kept in a cell. I waited for maybe eight or nine hours. I was doing push-ups and squats. They didn’t even bring me food. Then after a while, they told me, ‘You have to go back to Sweden.’ They continued, ‘We’ll bring you back to the airport where the plane is waiting for you.’ They brought me back to airport and sent me back home.”
Credit: USA TODAY Sports
Chimaev said the purpose of the trip was to find McGregor and “beat him up.”
“Honestly speaking, I wanted to beat him up,” Chimaev said. “Many people thought I was coming there to help him to prepare for Khabib. … Not only for Khabib. I was coming there to protect our pride and honor. I was going there for all of us. If that would not have happened, I would have maybe thrown, I don’t know, some object. … I think I was able to stand for myself.”
UFC President said he will book Chmaev for a fight in August. Who do you want to see take on the scary rising star?
