Chechen-born Khamzat Chimaev, a formidable figure in the UFC with Swedish citizenship, recently sparked controversy with an antisemitic post on Instagram.
Although the post was later deleted, it sent shockwaves through the world of combat sports.
In the now-deleted Instagram post, Chimaev wrote something along the lines of, "You are just guests of Palestine' respect them for giving you asylum. One day they will expel you from Palestine, Inshallah. Bring me the strongest man in Israel, I will break him."
Mr. @KChimaev I’m not the strongest man in Israel but I dare you to come and "try" break me any day! I know you have a contract with the @ufc and I couldn't care less so I challenge you to a bare knuckle fight or Grappling...your choice!!!!Waiting for you if you even… pic.twitter.com/pxnHyaMDCD
— Haim Gozali (@Haimgozali) September 14, 2023
Israeli fighter takes action
The post elicited strong reactions from both sides of the issue, with one notable response coming from Israeli fighter Haim Gozali. In a Twitter reply, Gozali said, "I’m not the strongest man in Israel but I dare you to come and 'try' break me any day! I know you have a contract with the @ufc and I couldn't care less so I challenge you to a bare knuckle fight or Grappling...your choice!!!! Waiting for you if you even dare."
At the time of writing, Gozali's response has generated 22 comments, though none are from Chimaev. It's likely that Chimaev will respond in due course, as he was tagged by Gozali on Twitter.
Could a future showdown between these two fighters be in the cards?
It certainly would be an intriguing matchup.