The only thing that appears to be certain about Khamzat Chimaev is that his fighting future is uncertain.
That’s because Chimaev can’t shake the effects of COVID-19, which he contracted last December. Twice he was forced him to withdraw from headlining fights against top welterweight contender Leon Edwards, who meets Belal Muhammad this weekend at UFC Fight Night 187. Three months since he first tested positive, and it’s clear that Chimaev fits the bill as a “COVID-19 long hauler.”
As a result, the UFC flew Chimaev out to Las Vegas last month to receive medical care at the UFC Performance Institute. But there’s just one thing about that.
“The problem is, the reason that everybody loves him is because the guy is an absolute savage. He wants to fight every weekend. He believes he’ll win the world title right now,” UFC president Dana White told BT Sport. “But the problem with a guy like that is you can’t calm him down. He should be resting right now. He shouldn’t be training at all. He should be resting and recovering, but he won’t do it.
“At the end of the day, he’s a grown man, and we can’t control what he does on a daily basis. I don’t know how this is going to play out. We’ll see.”
Khamzat Chimaev not resting on Friday, March. 12. (Instagram screengrab)
Chimaev broke out in 2020 and quickly became one of White’s favorite fighters, so much so that the favoritism didn’t go unnoticed. But Chimaev’s career has been derailed by COVID before it could truly pick up steam.
Things have gotten so bad that Chimaev recently indicated he was ready to retire. White told MMA Junkie that same day that Chimaev was just being emotional and wasn’t serious. Chechen dictator Ramzan Kadyrov even felt the need to intervene.
How would White feel if Chimaev truly wanted to hang up his gloves?
“If that’s what the guy wants to do, that’s up to him,” White said. “But what he really needs to do is go home, watch a movie, take a nap, relax, and recover. (But) it’s not the killer mentality. He’s a killer. It’s hard to control a guy like that.”
He continued, “This guy’s a physical specimen. This guy is unbelievable. He’s probably never been sick like this before. The difference between him and all the other fighters (who’ve had COVID-19) is the other fighters did what they were supposed to do. They weren’t running full speed on the treadmill and taking grappling classes with guys who were healthy. You can’t do that.”
Dana White: ‘I don’t know how this is going to play out’ with Khamzat Chimaev
