Khamzat Chimaev says U.S. President Donald Trump helped him secure a visa to fight in America for the first time since 2022, ending a near three-year absence.
The undefeated Russian middleweight, linked to sanctioned Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, denied politics had kept him out of the US but admitted visa issues forced his last two bouts to be in Abu Dhabi.
Chimaev will face South Africa’s Dricus du Plessis for the middleweight title at UFC 319 in Chicago on 16 August.
While grateful to Trump, a close friend of UFC president Dana White, Chimaev distanced himself from politics, insisting he is “just an athlete” focused on fighting.
