“It wasn’t my choice” - Khamzat Chimaev comes clean on taking Jon Jones down during friendly wrestling exchange

Khamzat Chimaev is considered one of the greatest MMA wrestlers of all time, and he lived up to that reputation when he took down Jon Jones during a friendly wrestling exchange. However, it turns out the takedown wasn't exactly his choice.

For context, Chimaev and Jones are now neighbors at the Black Rock residential complex in Grozny, Chechnya. During an evening out in the neighborhood, the pair engaged in a friendly wrestling exchange.

Interestingly, it was the middleweight champion who got a takedown, prompting Jones to jokingly run away from 'Borz'. In a subsequent post on X, 'Bones' confirmed it was a legitimate takedown, while praising Chimaev's grappling.

Earlier today, during an interview with ESPN MMA's Brett Okamoto, 'Borz' came clean about his grappling session with the former UFC heavyweight champion, claiming that the takedown was an involuntary reflex more than anything:

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"It wasn't real wrestling like people are saying... He liked it. He was there shooting, doing funny things around there... Yeah, but when the wrestling starts, man, my body works. When someone starts to wrestle with me, my body is going for takedowns. So, it wasn't my choice." [4:15 mark of the interview]

Check out Khamzat Chimaev's comments on his wrestling exchange with Jon Jones below:

Chimaev is currently nursing a leg injury and is scheduled to undergo surgery. He is expected to be out of action until March, when Ramadan ends.

Jones, meanwhile, is trying to lock in a spot on the UFC White House card. The former two-division champion even appears willing to give up the main event slot if that is what it takes to compete at the historic event.

Khamzat Chimaev wants to train with Jon Jones

Khamzat Chimaev considers Jon Jones the greatest MMA fighter of all time and has on several occasions stated that the New Yorker should hold the pound-for-pound No.1 status as long as he is active.

The Chechen-born Emirati envisions building a legendary career on par with 'Bones' and hopes to train with his idol to better himself. During the aforementioned interview, Chimaev said:

"Jon Jones is a legend. I hope one day I can train with him. We spoke about that. Maybe I [can] come to the U.S. and do some training with him." [5:18 mark of the interview]