Khamzat Chimaev shares graphic images of health struggles, explains why he couldn't make a quick return after UFC 294

Fight fans have come to associate Khamzat Chimaev's career with sheer dominance and unprecedented octagon activity. Following his UFC debut, 'Borz' set a record for the quickest turnaround between UFC wins in the modern era (10 days).

Despite Chimaev's desire to stay active and his commitment to "smash everybody", he hasn't been as consistently active as he initially was. This was largely due to the cancellation of two fights with current UFC welterweight champion, Leon Edwards, due to the lingering effects of COVID-19.

Discouraged by the way his body reacted to the virus, the 29-year-old also briefly announced his retirement, later revealing that the decision was prompted by emotional distress.

Chimaev was last seen inside the octagon against Kamaru Usman at UFC 294, a fight he won by majority decision. Fight fans have been wondering when Chimaev would return to action considering that he's the betting favorite to hold UFC gold by the end of 2024.

'Borz' took to X recently to unveil graphic images of health struggles. While he did not delve into the details in depth, he explained that he has been recovering from a hand injury and apparent skin infections. He wrote:

"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, 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."

However, Khamzat Chimaev proceeded to delete his original X post. Some accounts were able to keep screenshots of the images and a video from the UFC star.

Check out the images and video below:

---

Josh Thomson expresses scepticism on Khamzat Chimaev's recent performances

Khamzat Chimaev is perhaps one of the most dominant talents to emerge in recent times in the UFC landscape. However, the initial dominance observed in his early UFC fights has seemingly diminished according to many, partly attributed to the high caliber opponent he's faced in recent fights.

Chimaev showcased the characteristics of a worthy contender in his previous fights against Gilbert Burns and Kamaru Usman. However, his performance seemed to lack the usual tenacity fans have come to associate with the Russian-born Swede.

Shedding light on this notion in a recent episode of the Weighing In podcast, former UFC lightweight contender Josh Thomson stated:

“I said this the last time I saw him fight: I’m not sold on him yet. I’m not sold on Khamzat Chimaev. Everyone’s like, ‘You’re stupid, you’re being a hater.’ I’m like, ‘No, I don’t care what you guys say.’ I’ve been in the fight game a long, long time. Fighters come, fighters go. They explode onto the scene and guess what? Then they linger around for a little bit hoping to get back on track, and some of them never do, and some have a resurgence."

Catch Thomson's comments below (1:05:20):