New footage emerges showing Khamzat Chimaev ‘dog walk’ top UFC contender in impromptu grappling exchange

Khamzat Chimaev showed off his impressive wrestling skills against one of the best lightweights in the world during a recent sparring session.

The middleweight contender took on Arman Tsarukyan while filming for Hype Reality 3, which is being dubbed Russia's answer to The Ultimate Fighter. They coached opposite each other on the show and took to the cage to show off their skills in a friendly wrestling exchange.

Only about a minute of the session remains available after the first footage was leaked in October. But it appears Chimaev is clearly getting the upper hand in the exchange, which has amused fans on social media

Footage shows Khamzat Chimaev dominating Arman Tsarukyan in wrestling

With both men likely top contenders in their divisions, there was interest in seeing the full sparring session between Khamzat Chimaev and Arman Tsarukyan. Before the Swede's dominant victory over Robert Whittaker at UFC 308, footage leaked showing just a few seconds of the action.

But it has now been released, with many viewers noting that Chimaev was able to use his significant natural size advantage to take control of the proceedings. But it was also noted how fast the middleweight was despite being so much bigger.

🚨Full video of Khamzat Chimaev and Arman Tsarukyan wrestling 🤼‍♂️

Arman: “I will try to defend myself and avoid choking, because it is only submission. Khamzat is huge, it is difficult to take him down.”

Khamzat: “Arman weighs less than me. When wrestling, Arman knows it himself… pic.twitter.com/OXHmC3kCQZ

— MMA.PROS.PICK (@MMAPROSPICK) November 30, 2024

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The plan for Tsarukyan from the start was to embark on a survival mission, where the lightweight stars would tell cameras: “I will try to defend myself and avoid being suffocated, because it is only submission.

“And this just makes me work as a second song. But if I get the chance to choke or grab the neck, I'll take it.”

Chimaev seemed stunned that his rival would take on the challenge, noting the weight difference and claiming Tsarukyan is aware of the levels between them. That ultimately turned out to be true for the larger man.

“It was a surprise to me that Arman agreed to this and wanted to wrestle me in front of the camera,” Chimaev told the cameras. “He knew I would win and that's how it turned out.”

Fans note a major reason why Khamzat defeated Chimaev Arman Tsarukyan in a wrestling match

Of course, viewers agreed that the weight classes created an unbridgeable divide. Although Chimaev competes at 185b and has even made it to welterweight a few times, he is clearly gigantic outside of camp, especially compared to Tsarukyan.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

On Khamzat fights in a weight class that is 30 pounds heavier than Arman's weight class. Khamzat does this with most guys at 185 and even 205, so it's no surprise he did this with a 155er…”

Another wrote: “One of the best ground games in the game but let's not ignore the weight difference between them,” while another added: “Dude looks 30-40 lbs heavier…y'all praise Chimaev for this, I'm sorry a **b****es. The guy towers over him.”

Other users claimed that Chimaev was “walking a dog” Tsarukyan, who will face Islam Makhachev in a rematch early next year.

Khamzat Chimaev's training footage has divided fans lately

This isn't the only footage of Chimaev sparring to emerge in recent days. A video of the Swede hitting the pads left fans concerned about his striking, with some saying it's no wonder he chooses to wrestle so often.

In the video, Chimaev can be seen working on his stand-up with his coach, Ildar Aisin. “Sharpen the tools? It's more like trying to avoid being exposed!” One fan responded. “This is why he should stick to wrestling,” another critical fan added under the video.

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