Did Khamzat Chimaev have cancer? 'Borz' reveals shocking turn of events that led to brief retirement in 2021

Khamzat Chimaev is poised to face Robert Whittaker in a middleweight bout in the co-main event of UFC 308, scheduled for Saturday, October 26, at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

The upcoming match will mark the most significant of Chimaev's career thus far, with potential championship implications. If 'Borz' can overcome the former 185-pound champion, he will potentially earn a future title opportunity against the reigning middleweight kingpin Dricus du Plessis.

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Did Khamzat Chimaev have cancer?

Shortly after making a grand entry to the UFC, Khamzat Chimaev briefly retired in March 2021 but later reversed his decision. With an undefeated 13-0 record, the 30-year-old Russian is widely regarded as one of the UFC's most vicious competitors. His scheduled bout against Leon Edwards in December 2020 was scrapped due to COVID-19 complications.

Chimaev's health took a turn for the worse when he ignored medical advice and returned to training just weeks after testing positive for the virus, experiencing severe breathing difficulties and coughing up blood during workouts.

During his appearance on the Full Send Podcast in 2023, Khamzat Chimaev disclosed that his temporary retirement was prompted by a misdiagnosis of cancer. He explained that one doctor had wrongly informed him that he had cancer:

"That time was hard man. It’s not the same man. You know that one time I said, the doctor said to me coming down, that 'You have a cancer', man. That’s why I said I was retired, I didn’t know what to say to my family. I didn’t know what to say to the people."

He added:

"Then we check again, the other doctor said 'No, you don’t have cancer', [but I’m] still coughing up blood… Still, once if a doctor said something to you, it’s in your head. You still go home, and you’re coughing up blood and sh*t. [It’s like], I’m finished man." [h/t BJPenn.com]

Check out Khamzat Chimaev's comments below (38:40):

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Khamzat Chimaev opens up about physical and mental health struggles

While Khamzat Chimaev built a formidable reputation with dominant performances and quick turnarounds during his initial run, lingering health issues have taken away a lot of time from his professional MMA career. UFC CEO Dana White also said that it had been difficult for Chimaev to stay healthy in fight camps.

As Chimaev prepares to fight Robert Whittaker, many have noted his unusually calm demeanor. Speaking about this change in a recent interview with Adam Zubayraev, Chimaev said:

“I can say my depression is gone. I had a lot of problems I dealt with them thanks to God. I am just a human I also can have problems. Sometimes you need to think about solve them you catch depression A lot happened. Thank God it’s gone now I have a new team, I have new doctors, and pharmacologists I never had such a team before. I never even took vitamins before. I was like a street fighter just training and fighting I wasn’t a professional. You can say I was playing with it.”

Check out Khamzat Chimaev's comments below: