Main: Khamzat Chimaev is interviewed by Joe Rogan following his win over Dricus du Plessis at UFC 319. Inset: Khamzat Chimaev speaks to Zlatan Ibrahimovic on FaceTime after UFC 319. Credit: Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images & @AdamZubayraev via X

Khamzat Chimaev FaceTimed after UFC 319 by sporting ‘GOAT’ who correctly predicted he would become champion

Originally posted on Bloody Elbow | By Harvey Leonard | Last updated Aug 17, 2025 9:21 AM ET

Congratulatory messages are no doubt pouring in for Khamzat Chimaev after one of the most dominant title-challenging UFC displays of all time.

Ever since making his debut and reeling off a trio of wins in the space of just three months, Chimaev has vowed to “smash” everybody on his path to UFC gold, fame, wealth, and history-making accolades.

The latest to fall victim to that proclamation was Dricus du Plessis, who previously occupied the throne through two successful defenses. Du Plessis was soundly beaten by Chimaev in the main event of UFC 319, losing every round to ‘Borz’ en route to a one-sided decision.

Not many had predicted that Chimaev would face so little resistance from the South African. When it comes to his actual title win, though, the challenger had many prominent backers, including one of soccer’s biggest global stars.

Khamzat Chimaev connects with soccer legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic after UFC 319

As one of the sport’s top names, Chimaev has interacted and become friends with some notable figures in the world of sport and mainstream media. Perhaps the most prominent of them is soccer legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who has self-proclaimed himself as his sport’s ‘GOAT’ in the past.

Chimaev first met Ibrahimovic when the Swedish star paid him a visit during his training camp in the summer of 2023. The 43-year-old gifted the UFC fighter an AC Milan jersey, marking one of many huge teams that the Malmö native played for during his illustrious career on the pitch.

That meeting evidently forged a relationship, and Ibrahimovic was among those watching Chimaev break records at UFC 319 with his smothering display to get the better of Du Plessis in the main event.

Journalist Adam Zubayraev was part of Chimaev’s entourage at UFC 319 in Chicago, and he posted an image on X of the newly crowned middleweight king speaking with Ibrahimovic on FaceTime in the aftermath of his title win.

“Borz in football and Borz in MMA,” Zubayraev captioned the post.

Borz in football and Borz in MMA. pic.twitter.com/SQgPnHxbc0
— Adam Zubayraev (@AdamZubayraev) August 17, 2025

Zlatan Ibrahimovic predicted Khamzat Chimaev’s UFC 319 title win

Just months after meeting Chimaev a couple of years ago, Ibrahimovic was cageside for arguably the toughest fight of the Chechen star’s career to date.

Chimaev beat Kamaru Usman via majority decision at UFC 294, surviving a late rally from the former welterweight champion to keep his undefeated record intact.

‘Borz’ thanked the ex-Juventus, Barcelona, Inter Milan, and Manchester United player for attending the fight during his Octagon interview.

Soon after, Ibrahimovic branded Chimaev a future UFC champion in a post on his Instagram account.

“The Wolf. Khamzat Chimaev. The next champ,” Ibrahimovic wrote.

This article first appeared on Bloody Elbow and was syndicated with permission.

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