It seems Khamzat Chimaev may not be done fighting just yet, after all.
While a cryptic Instagram post Monday left doubt as to whether the fast-rising prospect would continue his octagon run, UFC president Dana White said Chimaev – who is currently in Las Vegas receiving treatment for a lingering case of COVID-19 – had an emotional moment but isn’t ready to call it a career.
“When he got here, the doctors took care of him, and they put him on prednisone, which is a nasty f*cking steroid,” White told MMA Junkie. “So he’s on prednisone, and he’s supposed to be taking this thing and chilling, relaxing, and letting himself recover. He went in and f*cking trained today, felt like sh*t, and got super emotional and posted that.
“He’s not supposed to be training, but you know, this guy’s a savage. He wants to fight like every f*cking weekend, and now he can’t even train, so he just got emotional and posted that, but he ain’t quitting.”
Originally posted in Russian, a Google translation of Chimaev’s text certainly made it seem he was ready to retire. Add in photos on Instagram Stories of what appears to be blood in a sink, and the condition clearly didn’t seem positive for the 26-year-old prospect (via Instagram):
I want to say thank you to everyone for their support in my path in this sport я I think I’m done, yes, I know that I didn’t take the belt, but this is not the most important victory in this life, it may upset you, but my heart and body tell me everything.
I want to say a huge thank you to my team @allstarsgymsweden 🙏🏼
I want to say a huge thank you @ufc 🙏🏼
Chimaev’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, did not immediately reply to a request for comment by MMA Junkie. However, White said he spoke directly with Chimaev and said he still believes the Chechen-born fighter will make his return to the octagon in June.
First, though, he needs to follow doctor’s orders.
“He was flown out here so that we could take care of him,” White said. “We get him taken care of. They got him on medication. He’s going to be fine, and he goes in and starts f*cking training. He’s not supposed to be training, and he’s super frustrated.
“He’s training when he’s supposed to be resting. He’s got to stay off, at least while he’s on this medication.”
Chimaev (9-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) last saw action this past September, when he scored a 17-second knockout of middleweight Gerald Meerschaert. The victory marked the undefeated Chimaev’s third UFC win in his first two months on the roster.
