Grappling coach: The precise moment that Khamzat Chimaev matured as a fighter

There came a moment when Khamzat Chimaev’s coach, Alan “Finfou” Nascimento, knew that his fighter could control the animal inside him.

Nascimento believes Chimaev substantially changed ahead of his fight against Robert Whittaker in 2024. While Chimaev once flipped off the crowd after missing weight by 7.5 pounds, “Borz” wore glasses and was respectful towards everyone going into his fight against Whittaker. This even had fans worried as they thought the wild and often unruly fighter had lost his hunger and aggression.

However, Nascimento wasn’t worried as he had been observing Chimaev change since the birth of his son a year ago. Nascimento assured others that, while Chimaev previously used…