Khamzat Chimaev, the MMA fighter, recently shared a post on social media. But then, he deleted it. The post was a picture of him, looking quite unwell. This happened on January 3, 2024.
There seems to be a valid reason why Chimaev was excluded from the middleweight title picture at the start of the year. The fighter was dealing with some health issues.
In addition to this, Chimaev had suffered a torn ligament in his hand. This happened during his victory over Kamaru Usman at UFC 294. He revealed his condition in the now-deleted social media post.
In the translated post, he wrote, “I was very sick, my hand was injured, so I couldn’t return right away.” The post included several distressing images. He expressed his eagerness to return to the ring, stating, “I will do and prove that I am the best, as always we do, and I will be back soon to Insha’Allal training.”
Chimaev was a strong contender to face the reigning middleweight champion, Sean Strickland, following his win at UFC 294. However, Strickland’s manager said that Chimaev wasn’t discussed as a potential option. Instead, Strickland is set to face Dricus Du Plessis in the UFC 297 headliner on Jan. 20 in Toronto.
After deleting the initial post, Chimaev shared a more positive video. He said, “I’m coming back for my belt.”
Chimaev has been a rising star in the UFC since his promotional debut in 2020. Known as “Borz,” he has an impressive 7-0 record in the Octagon. Most of his victories have been dominant. He has triumphed over fighters such as Usman, Gilbert Burns, Kevin Holland, and Jingliang Li.