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UFC president Dana White has admitted he can’t control Khamzat Chimaev. While asserting that Chimaev is a grown man, White also noted that the young fighter ought to give himself enough time to recover from the after-effects of contracting COVID-19.
Khamzat Chimaev was one of the breakout MMA stars in 2020, taking the UFC by storm in his very first year with the promotion. He was scheduled to fight high-ranking UFC welterweight Leon Edwards in a potential No. 1 contender’s fight late last year.
However, Khamzat Chimaev contracted COVID-19, which led to the Edwards fight falling apart thrice (once last year and twice this year). Chimaev is yet to fully recover after contracting COVID-19.
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In response to BT Sport interviewer Caroline Pearce asking Dana White about Khamzat Chimaev’s recent announcement about his retirement, White had words of high praise for the talented fighter, saying:
“I haven’t,” Dana White said when asked about what conversation he’s had with Khamzat Chimaev after he flew the latter out to the US for medical treatment. “We flew him out here to get looked at. And the problem is – The reason that everybody loves him is because the guy is an absolute savage. He wants to fight every weekend. He believes he’ll win the world title right now. But the problem with a guy like that is you can’t calm him down. And he should be resting right now. He shouldn’t be training at all. He should be resting and recovering, and he won’t do it. But at the end of the day, he’s a grown man. And, you know, we can’t control what he does on a daily basis. So, I don’t know how this is going to play out. I know about as much as you do. So, we’ll see.”
Shedding more light on his thoughts about Khamzat Chimaev's retirement, Dana White said:
“Yeah, I mean, listen, if that’s what the guy wants to do, that’s up to him. But what he really needs to do is go home, watch a movie, take a nap, relax and recover.” (*H/T Sportskeeda for the transcription)
Furthermore, Dana White explained that Khamzat Chimaev’s penchant for pushing to his limits is hurting him in his recovery from COVID-19.
When asked about fighters contracting COVID-19 and Khamzat Chimaev being the worst hit, Dana White responded by reiterating that Chimaev is not giving his body adequate time to recover and is rushing back to train hard.
White indicated that could adversely affect Khamzat Chimaev and delay his recovery.
Khamzat Chimaev recently alluded to bidding adieu to the UFC and retiring from MMA
Chechnya’s own Khamzat Chimaev recently put forth an Instagram post whereby he hinted that he has chosen to part ways with the UFC and retire from the sport of MMA.
Nevertheless, the Head of the Chechen Republic in Russia, Ramzan Kadyrov, strongly emphasised that he and many others in Chechnya don’t want to see Khamzat Chimaev retire.
Kadyrov expressed his unwavering belief in Khamzat Chimaev and urged him not to retire. That said, whether or not Khamzat Chimaev returns to the octagon again remains to be seen.
