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They say you should enjoy a good thing while it lasts, and it seems the MMA community is about to witness one such example. Khamzat Chimeav could be about to completely change the trajectory of his career. The undefeated warrior was scheduled to face former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker for the number one contender status, but his recurring illness has caught up with him. Chimaev’s manager announced last week that he had to withdraw from the clash as his health was deteriorating day by day.

Khamzat Chimaev has been out of the Octagon for a year and his fight frequency is a disaster. Plus, his body may be showing signs of early retirement. Despite that, there are rumors that the fighter is actually thinking about ending his career in the Octagon. Let’s get into it in more detail.

Khamzat Chimaev could end his career prematurely

After UFC 294, things are apparently not going well for Khamzat Chimaev. The undefeated fighter defeated Kamaru Usman and became the number one contender for the middleweight title, as promised by Dana White. His health was not helping him, however, as Chimaev suffered a severe skin infection immediately after the fight. “Borz” was hospitalized for a few days because of this, but recovered from the illness and was supposed to fight Robert Whittaker, but unfortunately it happened again and this time “Borz” had to withdraw.

Khamzat Chimaev’s health has been deteriorating since COVID-19. He canceled several fights with welterweight champion Leon Edwards due to his serious health condition. The long-lasting aftereffects of Sars seem to have caught the undefeated fighter off guard. As of now, the MMA community has no idea why Chimaev is in the hospital, but one thing is for sure: This will put even more strain on his already strained relationship with the UFC.

The fighter’s manager, Majdi Shammas, had informed on his Instagram account that the fighter had again pulled out. He also added an update on the inevitability of his illness and stated: “The persistent illness that Khamzat struggled with during large parts of the training camp could not be cured in time. He was hospitalized several times. The condition remained within the team as everyone was absolutely determined to find a solution. It was quickly confirmed that, despite all attempts, this was the best way forward at the moment, as Whittaker was a formidable opponent.

Amidst all the fuss, rumors began to circulate that “Borz” is planning to retire from the MMA world altogether. The number of fights he has left has risen to an incredible 6. Several sources suggest that Chimaev is thinking about it, but nothing is certain yet. Team Chimaev has not yet commented on this probability of the event, and Dana White is already silent about what is happening.

Well, the news of his retirement may be a rumor, but it must be noted that this is not the first time that the undefeated fighter has considered retiring early.

The time when Dana White had to convince Chimaev to come back

When Covid-19 was at its peak, Khamzat Chimaev was also affected. The fighter withdrew from his fight at UFC Vegas 21 as he showed some symptoms of the virus. Three weeks after the withdrawal, Chimaev announced that he was officially retiring from the world of fighting. The fighter wrote a long message on his social media channels, thanking everyone for their constant support.

“Thank you to everyone who has supported me on my journey in this sport. I think I’m done. It’s not the most important victory in this life. It may upset you, but my heart and my body tell me everything.” wrote Chimaev.

He also posted a story about what looked like a pool of blood on the sink. This was the final nail in the coffin of Chimaev’s retirement. “Borz” had decided to retire and was looking forward to it, but Dana White intervened. The then UFC president persuaded Chimaev to reverse his decision to retire and return to the world of combat sports.

Khamzat Chimaev did what the UFC boss said, but it seems like retirement was the right decision for the undefeated fighter as his body may not be in the shape to let him fight. How do you see the whole situation anyway? Give your opinion in the comments below.