Khamzat Chimaev doesn't care about the UFC belt, it's about the money
At the end of the day, undefeated UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev is a prize fighter. While he's considered one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world, the Chechen isn't in it for the accolades. He admittedly loves what he does, but he does it for the money.
Chimaev headlines Saturday's UFC 328 fight card at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey against former titleholder and bitter rival Sean Strickland . It will be Chimaev's first title defense but he doesn't care about the belt. Asked if being champion added a little more pressure during preparation, Chimaev answered, "I don't care about my belt.
I don't need to be the champ in the gym. I have to be a normal guy working every day. " "I'm still the hunter," he said in a recent scrum.
"I don't go after the belt. If I was going after the belt, I would finish my career. I already had the belt.
I'm going for the money. " The UFC 328 championship main event will be the biggest payday of Chimaev's career. As far as his game plan, "Borz" kept it simple.