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Rising UFC star and undefeated MMA fighter Khamzat Chimaev made a major statement on Tuesday.
Earlier this month, “Borz” shocked the MMA world when he wrote on social media “I think I’m done.” The apparent retirement was sudden as Chimaev burst onto the UFC scene in the summer and had been lined up to fight the No. 3 ranked welterweight in the world.
Unfortunately, Chimaev has been battling lingering effects from COVID-19. He was diagnosed with the coronavirus a few months back and is still dealing with ailments like lung issues and fatigue. He was set to fight Leon Edwards on March 13 but had to pull out a few weeks before the bout because of this.
On Tuesday, Chimaev posted to Instagram what appears to be a reverse of course.
“Surprise surprise I’m coming back to smash everybody,” Borz wrote.
After pulling out of his fight with Edwards, Chimaev mentioned that he hoped to return in June. Borz was eyeing No. 9 ranked welterweight Neil Magny as his next opponent and “The Haitian Sensation” showed interest in the scrap as well.
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Chimaev is 3-0 in the UFC, Earning All 3 Victories in Just Over 2 Months
Borz joined the UFC roster in 2020 after building a 6-0 professional MMA record. He made his UFC debut in July and submitted John Phillips in the second round at middleweight.
Ten days later, Chimaev returned to the Octagon and finished Rhys McKee in the first round via TKO. The bout took place at 170 pounds.
In September, Borz moved back up to the middleweight division and knocked out Gerald Meerschaert in only 17 seconds.
Chimaev has now set his eyes on welterweight once again. He was scheduled to fight Edwards three times, in December, January and March, however the contest fell through each time.
A victory over Edwards would have fast tracked Borz to the top of the star-rich UFC welterweight division, but after the third the fight was canceled, Edwards opted to fight a new opponent and has now seemingly moved on from the Russian.
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Chimaev’s Apparent Retirement Came Suddenly
In the now deleted Instagram post, Chimaev said winning a championship was not the most important thing to him.
“I want to say thank you all so much for supporting me in my journey in this sport,” Chimaev wrote via Instagram translation. “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 @allstargymsweden. I want to say a big thank you to @ufc.”
The fact that Borz deleted the post and wrote what he wrote on Wednesday is a good indication that he has changed his mind.
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