It appears that Khamzat Chimaev announced his retirement from MMA three weeks after numerous COVID-19 symptoms forced him to withdraw from UFC Vegas 21.
Chimaev wrote on Instagram (translated from Russian), “Thank you so much for supporting me in my journey in this sport. I think I’m done. “He added that although he did not win a title, ‘it is not the most important victory in this life.’
“It may upset you, but my heart and body tell me everything,” he wrote.
Later, Chimaev posted a photo on his Instagram story showing a spray of what was apparently blood in a sink.
“The most important thing is that I do not know what this disease is, but that it can not easily survive,” he wrote in a message translated on Reddit.
Several messages to Chimaev’s management and the UFC were not immediately returned. But White then told MMA Junkie that he had spoken to the fighter and clarified his plans. The UFC recently brought Chimaev to Las Vegas for treatment, and White said the failure of his recovery motivated the apparent retirement post.
“When he got here, the doctors took care of him and they put him on prednisone, which is a nasty steroid,” White said. ‘So he’s on prednisone, and he’s supposed to take this thing and cool it down, relax it, and let it recover. He went in and trained f * cking today, felt like sh * t, and got very emotional and posted it.
“He’s not supposed to practice, but you know, this guy is a savage. He wants to fight like every weekend, and now he can not even practice; he just got emotional and posted it, but he did not stop. ‘
According to his representatives, Chimaev was admitted to the hospital several times after suffering from various health problems and receiving antibiotics for bronchitis. In a behind-the-scenes video, his manager, Majdi Shammas, said the fighter started coughing after two rounds of work in preparation for the March 13 fight in Las Vegas. He was later taken to a local hospital; Shammas said the fighter later told him he thought he was going to die.
White announced the scratch of Chimaev and said the 26-year-old star is suffering from a problem with his lungs. This was the third time the match was canceled after a COVID-19-positive Edwards from a UFC Vegas 17 discussion was nodded and ruled out complications from the Chimaev virus from UFC Vegas 19.
“He was flown here so we could look after him,” White said. “We make sure he is taken care of. They got him on medication. It’s going well with him, and he goes in and starts practicing. He is not supposed to exercise, and he is very frustrated.
“He exercises when he needs to rest. He should stay off, at least while using this medication. ”
Chimaev, a product of the Allstars Training Center in Stockholm, achieved UFC fame on Fight Island, where he beat the back-to-back victories in welterweight and middleweight in a span of ten days. He followed it up two months later with a shocking knockout blow from Gerald Meerschaert that had him shortlisted as a future title challenger.
The fight against Edwards, a standout in the welterweight division on a winning streak of eight fights, appears to be the gateway to the fight for a fighter who has captivated the attention of fans around the world.
Chimaev’s health issues highlight a sudden reversal of the fortune and seriousness of the virus, which claimed more than 2.5 million lives and left many “long haul” with debilitating symptoms that do not enable them to lead a normal life does not resume.
Here is Chimaev’s full statement:
‘I want to thank you so much for supporting me in my journey in this sport. I think I’m done, yeah, I know I did not take the belt, but it is not the most important victory in his life, it may upset you, but my heart and body tell me everything. I want to thank my team very much [Allstars Training Center]. I want to say thank you to the UFC. ”