UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev could attempt to qualify for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles after signing with RAF to compete in wrestling later this year, according to his coach Alan “Finfou” Nascimento.
Nascimento told MMA Fighting that Chimaev’s recent deal with RAF could open the door to a future Olympic bid representing the United Arab Emirates, where the Chechen-born fighter now holds citizenship. Only 20 athletes have competed in the UFC after appearing at the Olympics, but Nascimento said Chimaev could become the first to win UFC gold before attempting to compete at the Games.
“Maybe with these wrestling camps he can make the national team and even try for the Olympics like several other guys from Chechnya, who naturalized elsewhere and became Olympic champions in Paris, for example,” said Nascimento, according to MMA Fighting. “These are possibilities, and if you’re going to dream, it costs nothing. He has my full support. It’s been part of his dream since he was a kid. He started in wrestling, then moved into MMA and everything, but I see it as a long-standing passion, a childhood dream.”
Nascimento acknowledged that qualifying for the Olympics while remaining active in the UFC would present significant challenges, but said Chimaev should pursue the opportunity if he is prepared for the demands involved. “If he gets the opportunity and is truly willing to pay the price for it, go for it,” said Nascimento. “Have faith, work hard, and go. He’s already a champion in the biggest fighting organisation in the world. I can’t think of another sport that demands as much from athletes.”
Chimaev is scheduled to defend his UFC middleweight title against former champion Sean Strickland in the main event of UFC 328 on May 9. RAF has not yet confirmed when Chimaev will make his wrestling debut, but Nascimento said the fighter is expected to train with two-time Olympic gold medalist and six-time world champion Abdulrashid Sadulaev ahead of the transition. “I don’t think it’s impossible,” he said. “Will he become a champion? I don’t know. But for him to make the U.A.E. national team and compete in the Olympics, that’s something that’s definitely more achievable than many other things.”
Nascimento also said Chimaev’s involvement in competitive wrestling could further strengthen the grappling-heavy style that has defined his MMA success. “His future opponents are going to have an even harder time defending takedowns,” Nascimento said. Chimaev has recorded 26 takedowns in nine UFC appearances, including 12 in his title-winning victory over Dricus Du Plessis in 2025.
Discussing the upcoming title fight, Nascimento described Strickland’s style as difficult to replicate in training but suggested the former champion has not faced a wrestler of Chimaev’s caliber. “We can’t take anything away from him in that regard,” said Nascimento. “But at the same time he hasn’t fought anyone in this division whose main game is taking people down, someone with Chimaev’s level of wrestling. He hasn’t faced that calibre yet.”
