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Was Khamzat Chimaev banned from fighting in USA and did Donald Trump help UFC 319 star get into the country?
Aug 12, 2025
KHAMZAT CHIMAEV is just days away from competing in his first UFC title fight.
The undefeated phenom will challenge for middleweight gold in the main event of UFC 319 in Chicago early on Sunday morning.
Standing between the 31-year-old wrecking machine and his dream of winning UFC gold is dominant champion Dricus Du Plessis.
Chimaev's Chicago clash with DDP will be his first outing on American soil since his first-round submission of Kevin Holland in September 2022.
His last two fights against Kamaru Usman and Robert Whittaker have both taken place in Abu Dhabi.
His absence from the States raised eyebrows and led many to wonder if he'd been banned from entering the country.
And according to veteran and internationally respected reporter Karim Zidan, Chimaev "partially" had difficulty entering the USA due to his "association" with Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov.
Chimaev is pals with Kadryov, who was sanctioned by the U.S State Department over multiple human rights abuses in December 2017.
And he's trained with Kadryov and his sons on multiple occasions over the years.
'Borz' responded to the claims about his eligibility to enter the US last October and was dismissive of suggestions he'd been banned from the country.
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