In an impressive turn of events that no one foresaw, it looked like Khamzat Chimaev had retired from MMA (MMA) after posting a not-so-cryptic message on his Instagram account suggesting he was “ready” before thanking his team as well as Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
“I want to thank all of you very much for supporting me on my journey in this sport. I think I’m done. Yes, I know I didn’t take the belt, but it’s not the most important victory of my life ”, he wrote on social media.
“But it is not the most important victory of this life. You may be upset, but my heart and body tell me everything. I want to thank my All Star Gym Sweden team very much and I want to thank the UFC. ”
Chimaev has been fighting COVID-19 since he contracted the virus in late 2020. The virus has forced “Borz” to withdraw from a proposed middleweight fight against Leon Edwards on two occasions. Initially, it was Edwards who came with the coronavirus first, which led to the first of a total of three canceled attempts to make the fight happen.
As a result of their continuing health problems, UFC officials took Chimaev to Las Vegas, Nevada, to get the medical care he needed. And while his manager said Chimaev’s first priority was to regain his health in full swing, he also said he intended to return to action later this summer.
A few hours after “Borz” posted the message on social media, Dana White revealed that he had spoken to Chimaev and insisted that after the conversation he would not retire.
“When he got here, doctors took care of him and gave him prednisone, which is an unpleasant steroid drug,” White told MMA Junkie. “So he’s taking prednisone, and he should be taking this thing and relaxing, relaxing and allowing himself to recover. He was ef * cking trained today, he felt like shit, and he got super emotional and posted it.
“He shouldn’t be training, but you know, this guy is a savage. He wants to fight like every f * cking weekend, and now he can’t even train, so he got emotional and posted it, but he doesn’t give up ”, finished White.
“Borz” – who is only 26 years old – burst onto the UFC scene last July after defeating John Phillips via submission at UFC Fight Island 1. He then competed 10 days later, knocking out Rhys McKee in the first round at UFC Fight Island 3. He then followed that pair of dominant performances with a 17-second knockout victory over Gerald Meerschaert two months later (see again here).
His run was enough to get White’s attention, who repeatedly expressed his excitement at what the promising candidate could do in the future. Chimaev also drew the attention of the main contenders of the UFC, who thought that he had not faced anyone of quality to receive so much praise.
For now, it looks like Chimaev will still be fighting, but he still has a tough battle ahead of him before going back to the cage.