Khamzat Chimaev reveals alarming sickness that has halted his UFC return

During his early days inside the octagon, Khamzat Chimaev was one of the most active and dominant fighters on the roster. Not only was he able to completely dismantle his opponents, but he would be doing so with very little rest in between fights.

‘Borz’ would once hold the UFC record for the quickest two wins in modern history when he won twice in just 10 days. Now, having fought once since 2022, the undefeated prodigy looks set for another spell on the sidelines.

In a now-deleted post on social media, Khamzat Chimaev posted a frightening health update for fans. According to the UFC standout, he injured his hand and was suffering from a sickness, which has ultimately kept him away from the octagon for longer than he would have liked.

“I was very sick, my hand was injured, so I couldn’t return right away. I want to tell all the fountains, I want to see myself in battle more than all of you,” Chimaev stated in a recently deleted social media post. “I love this job, I will do and prove that I am the best, as always we do, and I will be back soon to Insha’Allal training.”

Khamzat Chimaev posted and then deleted a picture of himself saying he was very sick pic.twitter.com/RDQnhmnOce

— MMA Mania (@mmamania) January 3, 2024

Chimaev last competed less than three months ago at UFC 294. The Russian battled his way to a majority decision victory over the short-notice Kamaru Usman on October 21 but is insistent on returning to his previous consistent schedule.

Related: Colby Covington details why fight against Khamzat Chimaev didn’t come to fruition

His health scare wasn’t the only update that he posted to social media. Following the deletion of his original post, Khamzat Chimaev shared a short clip of himself looking much better than he did during his illness. In the short video, the 29-year-old claimed he feels good and expects to go on a title push in 2024.

pic.twitter.com/nNq754VDx6

— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) January 3, 2024

Despite moving between weight classes, Chimaev now finds himself ranked within the top 10 at middleweight. While nothing is confirmed, the fan-favorite will likely remain at 185 lbs for the foreseeable future, which is a division that he believes he can easily become champion.