Khamzat Chimaev recently shared his thoughts on the importance of Jiu-Jitsu.

During an appearance at a major Abu Dhabi grappling event, he highlighted its role in developing elite fighters:

It let me feel back when I was a child competing in wrestling.

He also pointed to the rapid growth of combat sports in the region, crediting strong support systems for the surge in talent:

The last couple of years, not only Jiu-Jitsu, all the sports we’re working on, like wrestling, Jiu-Jitsu, MMA, everything is growing so fast here because they support sports here.

Chimaev emphasized that Abu Dhabi has become a global hub for jiu-jitsu, largely due to the opportunities provided to athletes:

Everyone who starts to speak about Jiu-Jitsu, they start to speak about Abu Dhabi because here it’s a big event.
They support a lot and, of course, they get paid good as well.

According to him, that level of support creates powerful motivation for the next generation:

That’s why it’s a big motivation for the kids to be here and compete.

Chimaev also explained why Jiu-Jitsu is such a critical component for MMA fighters:

If you have good grappling, Jiu-Jitsu, you control the match. It’s one of the aspects you need to use there.

He praised the level of talent coming out of the region as well:

We have a lot of good Jiu-Jitsu guys here… There are new kids, but they’re good level.
For sure, they’re going to be a lot of champs.

First of all, just to stay focused on his job…
If you’re a good Jiu-Jitsu and move to MMA, it will be more easy for you.

Khamzat Chimaev calls jiu-jitsu one of the most important skills for success in MMA 💯

(Via: ajotour) pic.twitter.com/VNHXxYMehw

— FREAK.MMA (@FREAKMMA1) May 18, 2026

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