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Khamzat Chimaev’s UFC foe recalls backstage altercation before 17-second KO: ‘Why is he like this?’

Originally posted on Bloody Elbow | By Kyle Dimond | Last updated Feb 15, 2026 10:03 PM ET

Khamzat Chimaev quickly became a star in the UFC thanks to one trait.

Dricus du Plessis says you can’t hate on Chimaev for fighting the way that he did in their middleweight title fight last August.

How one-sided the bout was resulted in a lot of criticism for the challenger despite the way that he was able to completely neutralize his opponent.

This wasn’t a trend that fans had become used to with ‘Borz’, as many of his fights, like Chimaev’s previous win over Robert Whittaker, have been defined by his relentless aggression.

It’s not just inside the Octagon where the current 185 pound titleholder has developed a reputation for being one of the fiercest fighters on the roster.

Gerald Meerschaert was left confused by his pre-fight interaction with Khamzat Chimaev

In 2020, Khamzat Chimaev stormed into the UFC by setting a record after recording his first two wins inside the Octagon in the space of just ten days.

His ability to completely dominate his opponents with his wrestling and take no damage in the process ended up being what saw him win the middleweight title last year.

However, it was in Chimaev’s third UFC win, which seriously impressed Dana White, where he showcased another side to his game.

Just over two months on from his debut, ‘Borz’ recorded the fastest finish of his career when he knocked out Gerald Meerschaert in 17 seconds.

Meerschaert recently told a story about an intense interaction he had with Chimaev in a hallway before their fight.

The UFC veteran recalled being confused by the altercation because of his upcoming opponent’s action, despite the fact that no one was around to see it.

“In the back of my head, I’m like, ‘There’s nobody else here.’ So like, he’s just doing it for the love of the game, which like, mad respect,” he said during an appearance on The Casuals MMA. “He’s just doing his thing, no matter who’s there or not, which is better than, ‘Oh, I need cameras.’

“But, he does this, he walks away, and his coaches, ‘Oh, nice to meet you. Nice to meet you.’ All the most polite like, ‘Yeah, we know he’s crazy.’ But I was just confused, they were so nice. Why is he like this? We’re gonna fight.”

Gerald Meerschaert is able to look back on his Khamzat Chimaev loss and laugh

Gerald Meerschaert certainly isn’t the first or last fighter that Khamzat Chimaev has met with aggression.

He said when speaking about this experience on The Casuals MMA that some fighters are simply like that and they need to put themselves in that head space before a fight.

“They gotta get in that place before and after, but we’re gonna punch each other. Well, actually, you are gonna punch me, in this case. I wanted to punch him, but it didn’t work out that way,” he joked.

Their clash in 2020 saw Chimaev land four of his six significant strike attempts to produce a knockout in the first round.

Meerschaert, on the other hand, attempted just one significant strike that failed to hit its target.

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

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