'I'm coming back to smash everybody' - Khamzat Chimaev distances himself from retirement talk in Instagram post

Khamzat Chimaev appears to have announced that he is not going to retire from the UFC after all.

'The Chechen Wolf' rose to prominence in the UFC in 2020 after winning his first three fights in the promotion in a super short interval of less than two months at Fight Island in Abu Dhabi.

However, a severe case of COVID-19 made Khamzat Chimaev reconsider his journey as a mixed martial artist. It has been reported that his health was harshly affected by the disease, with the UFC bringing him to the United States for specialized treatment.

But it looks like the Chechen Wolf decided it was his time to return from the quick 'retirement' as he announced he's back with a post to his Instagram account.

"Surprise, surprise. I'm coming back to smash everybody," Khamzat Chimaev wrote.

Booked to fight Leon Edwards, No. 3 in the UFC welterweight rankings, following his early success and promising future, Khamzat Chimaev's career was hindered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

After Edwards and then Chimaev himself both tested positive for the first two attempts at the fight happening, the UFC rescheduled the fight for the third time to February 2021.

However, the Swedish-Russian fighter had to withdraw from the battle again as he is struggling to heal from lingering COVID-19 symptoms that persist months after he was infected.

After posting a picture of a sink covered in blood, allegedly coming from his cough, the welterweight sensation decided to put an end to his career.

"I want to say thank you to everyone for their support in my path in this sport. I think I'm done, yes, I know that I didn't take the belt, but this is 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 huge thank you to my team. I want to say a huge thank you to UFC," Khamzat Chimaev wrote on his Instagram account.

From Khamzat Chimaev’s Instagram (and translated through Instagram) pic.twitter.com/EiJYKroClj

— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) March 2, 2021

Whom does Khamzat Chimaev want for his next fight?

Khamzat Chimaev already knows whom he wants to be his next adversary in the UFC welterweight division. In a recent post made on his Twitter account, the Chechen Wolf called out 170 lb veteran Neil Magny.

@NeilMagny 🤫 pic.twitter.com/Bzvo8NXFTE

— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) March 12, 2021

Magny's last fight was a defeat to Michael Chiesa at UFC Fight Island 8 last January, but he still stands high among the welterweights, sitting at No. 9 in the rankings.