Loyalty in MMA can be tricky when you are friends with multiple elite fighters. Training camps overlap, sparring sessions create bonds, and genuine friendships form between competitors. But when those friends eventually have to fight each other, someone needs to choose sides. That awkward moment reveals who your true allies really are in this brutal business. Khamzat Chimaev recently found himself in exactly that position regarding two lightweight contenders. <\/p>
The newly crowned middleweight champion has trained with both Ilia Topuria and Arman Tsarukyan at different points in his career. Both men are elite fighters in their own sense. But when push comes to shove, ‘Borz’ knows exactly where his loyalty lies.<\/p>
Khamzat Chimaev says he would corner Arman Tsarukyan against Ilia Topuria if that fight ever materializes. The Chechen didn’t hesitate when discussing this hypothetical UFC<\/a> matchup between his two friends. According to Chimaev, if Tsarukyan asked him to be in his corner, he simply couldn’t refuse that request. The bond between them runs too deep for any other answer.<\/p> “If Arman asks me to corner him against Topuria, I won’t be able to refuse because he is my friend. With Ilia, I communicate but we are not close friends,”<\/em><\/strong> said Chimaev via Aslanbek Badaev.<\/p>