Chimaev reveals he refused an interview invitation with Mike Tyson: 'I wouldn't feel good next to him'

K. Chimaev refused to go to M. Tyson's podcast. Photo: SUPER FIGHTS montage

Ultimate welterweight sensation (up to 77kg.), Khamzat Shimaev He is seen as one of the organization's possible stars in the future. Therefore, the Swede has been the target of great demand in interviews around the world. Still, he received an invitation to participate in the podcast 'Hotboxin', de Mike Tyson.

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athletes like Khabib Nurmagomedov, Francis Ngannou, Chris Cyborg e Tyron woodley already participated in the program and showed great appreciation for the trajectory of Mike Tyson. However, Chimaev declined the invitation and revealed that he disagrees with some of the boxer's controversial decisions and statements. The fighter also highlights that he wouldn't feel comfortable if he went on the podcast.

“I didn't really want to do that. As a fighter and athlete, I really like him. But I wouldn't feel good. I don't like what happened to him – with the violence, the marijuana and all that stuff. But I still respect him – both as a fighter and as a person. He went through a lot of things and because of that, he broke. He did a lot of bad things. Nobody knows what will happen to me, because it can happen to anyone. The person may be good and normal, but they may end up in a psychiatric hospital after something happens. I don’t judge anyone (who goes), but I just didn’t want to go,” said Khamzat in an interview with the Russian channel 'Hustle MMA'.

Khamzat Shimaev he debuted in the UFC in July 2020 and, very quickly, became a phenomenon of popularity for the organization. This is largely due to the fact that they achieved three overwhelming victories in two months, two of them in the space of just ten days.

After that, the Swede was away for more than a year and even considered retirement due to complications related to Covid-19. He returned to Ultimate with an impressive performance against li jingliang No. UFC 267, where he didn't even receive any blows and finished with a rear naked choke in the first round.