Khamzat Chimaev hasn’t been particularly active in recent years, but the Chechen-born Swede has no plans to retire from mixed martial arts.
In a brief statement sent to MMAjunkie.com, Chimaev’s manager, Majidi Shammas, denied retirement rumors that have been circulating since the middleweight boxer withdrew from the main event against Robert Whittaker at UFC on ABC 6 due to serious illness.
“That’s simply not true,” Shamus said. “We’re going to get to the bottom of this situation, this issue, and he’ll be back.”
Shamus portrayed Chimaev’s situation as serious in another social media post over the weekend, but also said that Chimaev’s return to UFC will be “rescheduled immediately” once he’s healthy.
“The chronic condition that Khamzat has been battling for most of training camp has not been cured in time and he has been in and out of the hospital multiple times,” Shamus wrote on Instagram. “The condition has been kept secret within the team as we are all committed to finding a solution. All options have been thoroughly explored and the team is in agreement that it is not possible to continue in this state. Unfortunately, it is not possible to step into the cage against a formidable opponent like Robert without the proper preparation.”
Chimaev has flourished as one of the sport’s hottest prospects since beginning his UFC run, stopping his first four opponents inside the Octagon in the first round over a roughly 13-month span, but “Bolz” has competed just three times since October 2021, his last coming at UFC 294, where he won a majority decision over Kamaru Usman last October.
A representative for the Undefeated All Stars Training Center broke his silence on Monday with a short statement on social media.
“We are always planning something, but Allah has His own plans for us,” Chimaev wrote. “Alhamdulillah.”
Former Chimaev opponent Ikram Aliskerov will face Robert Whittaker in the main event of the new UFC on ABC 6, taking place on Saturday at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
