Retirement so soon? Yes, Khamzat Chimaev might be contemplating leaving the world of MMA. He has been away from the octagon for a while (his last fight was on Oct 21, 2023) and the frequency of his fights has been a disaster lately. The undefeated warrior was supposed to clash with former middleweight champ, Robert Whittaker for the number-one contender status, but his recurring illness seems to have caught up to him. What happened to him?

You might recall him pulling out of fights all the way back in 2020 because of COVID-19. The phenom, however, graced the octagon again in 2021 against Li Jingliang, followed by Gilbert Burns. Now as he battles with a yet undisclosed ailment, to which, as his manager informed, “everyone has been absolutely committed to finding a solution.” So for the fighter, taking a step back from his career might not be a jaw-dropper move. Here’s all we know so far.

Is it the end of the road for Khamzat Chimaev’s UFC trajectory?

After UFC 294, things seem to be not working in Khamzat Chimaev’s favor. The undefeated fighter defeated Kamaru Usman to become the number one contender for the middleweight title, as promised by Dana White. But his health never helped him in this regard. Chimaev suffered a severe skin infection immediately after the clash. ‘Borz’ was hospitalized for a few days for this. Though he recovered and was supposed to clash with Robert Whittaker, sadly, the fighter is facing another health issue. And ‘Borz’ had to withdraw.

The fighter’s manager, Majdi Shammas, had taken to his Instagram to share the update. “It’s with great disappointment announced that Khamzat Chimaev (13-0) has been forced to withdraw from his scheduled fight against #3 ranked Robert Whittaker on June 22nd in Riyadh.”

“The persistent illness that Khamzat has been battling for major parts of training camp could not be cured in time. He has been in and out of hospitals several times. The condition has been kept within the team, since everyone has been absolutely committed to finding a solution. This was swiftly followed by reaffirming how, despite trying everything possible, this was the best way for now, given that Whittaker was a formidable opponent.

Khamzat Chimaev’s health has been on a downward trajectory since 2020, as he succumbed to COVID-19, and battled with post-Covid complications. He canceled several fights with the welterweight champ, Leon Edwards, due to his serious health. The longstanding after-effects of SARS‑CoV‑2 seem to have caught the undefeated fighter off-guard. As of now, the MMA community has no idea about why exactly Chimaev is hospitalized, but one thing’s for sure, this will impede what could have been an otherwise ascend under the UFC.

“This is a devastating turn of events for Khamzat, his coaches, training partners and other members of the team. Headlining UFC’s first ever visit to Saudi Arabia was a great honor and something that was very much looked forward to. Although the cause is far beyond anyone’s control, a sincere apology is extended to the UFC,” Shammas further wrote. However, he also mentioned that the fighter would return stronger after getting better.

But rumors that ‘Borz’ is planning to retire from the MMA world altogether are making rounds. The number of fights he walked out of has risen to a staggering six. Multiple sources suggest that Chimaev is still considering his options, but nothing has been made certain as of yet. Team Chimaev has yet to comment on this probability of the event and Dana White, given the landslide of cancellations he is battling has refrained from making a comment.

Well, the retirement news might be a rumor, but it must be noted that this is not the first time that the undefeated fighter has considered taking an early retirement.

The time when Dana White had to convince Chimaev to return…

Back when Coving-19 was at its peak, it got to Khamzat Chimaev. The fighter withdrew from his fight at UFC Vegas 21 as he showed some symptoms of the virus. Three weeks after the withdrawal, Chimaev announced that he would officially retire from the world of fighting altogether. The fighter took to his social media handle to write a long message, thanking everybody for their constant support.

“Thank you all so much for supporting me in my journey in this sport. I think I’m done. It’s not the most important victory in this life. It may upset you, but my heart and body tell me everything,” wrote Chimaev. He further posted a story of what appeared to be a puddle of blood on the sink.

This was supposed to be the last nail in the coffin for Chimaev’s retirement. ‘Borz’ made up his mind for retirement and was looking forward to it, but Dana White intervened. The then-UFC president talked the fighter into taking back his retirement decision and returning to the fighting world.

Khamzat Chimaev did what the UFC Supremo asked him, and he did it well. Despite his health issues, he didn’t face defeat in the octagon. The 13-0 record holder has won six fights via KO/TKO, five through submissions and two through decisions. His dominance was so profound that people saw a potential champion in him. However, his UFC 273 fight against Gilbert Burns showed people he was human, after all. That fight could have gone either way. While Chimaev won, it was a close fight and even received a 2022 Fight of the Year nominee.

Winning against Burns and later Kamaru Usman (UFC294) proved he could be counted among the best. Now, only time can tell if he chooses to continue fighting. What’s your take on the entire situation? State your thoughts in the comments below.