"He posted a story with blood in his sink..." - When Khamzat Chimaev's alleged retirement announcement had fans shattered

Khamzat Chimaev will have an opportunity to secure a UFC title shot for the first time in his career, but there was a time when his career was in jeopardy.

Just a few years ago, 'Borz' shared a post to his Instagram account, where he appeared to have announced his retirement from MMA due to health issues. Khamzat Chimaev mentioned that he was grateful for the support he received from his fans and thanked the UFC and his team:

"I want to say thank you all so much for supporting me in my journey in this sport...I think I'm done, yes I know I didn't take the belt but it's not the most important victory in this life, it may upset you but my heart and body tell me everything. I want to say a big thank you to my team @allstarsgymsweden...I want to say big thank you to @ufc #allhamdulilah"

Instagram post regarding retirement.

At the time, fans noted that it was very unfortunate because of the potential that Khamzat Chimaev had displayed. They mentioned that COVID probably took a toll on his health and resulted in him deciding to step away from competition, writing:

"Wonder if Covid did a number on his lungs long term...Woah, saw the pic of him coughing up blood. He became a star for what he did on fight island and short notice during a pandemic. Sucks that it may have cost him his career tho looking back." [BenSoloGhost - Reddit]

"If this is true, this has got to be one of the biggest "what's ifs" in MMA history right?" [ablock3002 - Reddit]

"Sad to see people here downplaying how bad covid is, or doubting how bad it is." [TGGNathan - Reddit]

"He posted a story with blood in his sink... Hope he's good" [deleted - Reddit]

"Damn dude, covid claimed the biggest hype train of 2020" [tuberippin - Reddit]

"This is sucks" [pooptrooper1 - Reddit]

Reddit comments regarding retirement

Fortunately, Khamzat Chimaev was cleared to return and picked up right where he left off as he earned three consecutive wins over the likes of Li Jingliang, Gilbert Burns, and Kevin Holland.

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Khamzat Chimaev questions UFC over his extended hiatus from competition

Khamzat Chimaev recently opened up about his extended hiatus from competition and queried why the UFC could not book him in a fight.

During his pre-fight media availability ahead of his UFC 294 bout against Kamaru Usman, Khamzat Chimaev responded to a question regarding his inactivity and mentioned that he wanted to fight much sooner, saying:

"I have the same question for you guys, for Dana White, for the UFC. I can show you a lot of messages to these guys, 'Give me a fight, give me a fight.' I want to fight with best guys...It's not fun to watch if I'm gonna smash somebody that nobody knows. It's not gonna make money for the UFC, that's why I think I've been held for a long time." [4:18 - 4:54]