Khamzat Chimaev was promoted to the rank of purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu after successfully defeating Gilbert Burns in the UFC. Days before the fight, Chimaev mentioned how his coach Alan Finfou would give him his purple belt if he submitted Burns in the bout.
It’s no secret that Gilbert Burns is a BJJ black belt and at the time, Chimaev was a blue belt. Of course, this belt color was more of a technicality as Chimaev is also known as being a very skilled wrestler and grappler.
Although Chimaev failed to submit Burns, he did get a unanimous decision victory. This led to Finfou giving him the purple belt – to which Chimaev said “Thank you coach. Now I have to work for 5 more years to get my next belt” This promotion was also congratulated by Chimaev’s sparring partner Darren Till.
