At the end of last year, Khamzat Chimaev tested positive for the coronavirus and was subsequently withdrawn from his fight against Leon Edwards. The promotion then decided to just change and reschedule the rising star immediately.
Ali Abdelaziz previously observed how “his lungs have not recovered 100%”, but with a fight still scheduled, Chimaev still tried to train to overcome his severe symptoms. But it didn’t end well for him, and the fight was canceled again.
Since then, Chimaev’s team has described some of the trials he has been dealing with for months, including “numerous complications” and “several” trips to the hospital.
“It’s crazy. I have no words,” Chimaev’s manager Majdi Shammas told Front Kick. “He insisted he wanted to train, then we tried and failed. He was really bad. He didn’t even make two rounds in a row. He did one round , rested, then started coughing and started feeling bad again. We had to cancel the training, we even had an ambulance to the hospital ”.
Chimaev had a CT scan for chest pain, blood tests and several other tests. His trainer said that, in addition to all other symptoms, Chimaev also had bronchitis and took antibiotics for 10 days.
“The other day, when he finished training on Tuesday, he couldn’t even walk to his room,” said Shammas. He didn’t even have the energy to go up to the room. He fell asleep in the lobby.
“He cannot train. His friends called me and said, ‘Hey, Khamzat can’t even speak. The fever is so high, the headache is so much, you know, muscle pain and everything. ‘Then an ambulance came and took him to the hospital, ”continued Shammas. “Even when he was in the hospital, when he called me he thought he was going to die. He was really bad.
“I really feel for him. If I know Khamzat well, he wants to come back as soon as possible, (but) he has to rest for a while, make his body fully functional, ”he said. “I cannot let you train. Who knows? This time, he started training, he was lucky. Next time, he may not be so lucky. ”
Chimaev, like former champion Cody Garbrandt and many others, appears to be among about 10% of COVID patients that doctors call “long haulers” or patients with long-term symptoms. It is not yet clear how many of these symptoms are permanent, but there are many cases in which seriously ill patients develop respiratory problems that leave permanent scars on their lungs.
His health is obviously much more important than his fighting career, but I hope that everything will be resolved and Chimaev will be back to normal soon.