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Khamzat Chimaev has been on a layoff since his last outing at UFC Vegas 11 against Gerald Meerschaert. The rising prospect is yet to capitalize on the immense momentum he gained last year.
Chimaev's stellar entry into the UFC and subsequent obliterating performances made him Dana White's Fighter of the Year nominee. However, the Chechen native couldn't bask in the glory of his success for long enough. He was forced to withdraw from the competition due to the lingering effects of a COVID-19 infection.
'Borz' was scheduled to fight Leon Edwards in March but the fight was called off due to his deteriorating health. At one point, Chimaev had a massive health scare and admitted initial cancer fears. He even announced his retirement from MMA via social media in March, stating that he was "done."
However, after recovering from the lingering effects of his infection, Khamzat Chimaev's management team revealed that he was eyeing a comeback in July. Ali Abdelaziz, CEO of Dominance MMA, stated in an interview with ESPN that Chimaev was back at training and will make the walk to the octagon soon.
Is Khamzat Chimaev serious about returning to the UFC octagon?
Ever since he retracted his retirement announcement, 'Borz' has been firing shots left, right, and center. He went as far as to say that he would beat the champions in the welterweight, middleweight, and light heavyweight divisions.
While his outings so far at welterweight and middleweight have been impressive, to say that he will beat the champions in all three divisions is quite overreaching. Kamaru Usman, Israel Adesanya, and Jan Blachowicz would be a tough ask for any fighter, let alone one who's new to the UFC.
A former champion in Luke Rockhold apparently offered to fight Chimaev but was turned down. If 'Borz' is truly as serious about competing and fighting as he says in his interviews, why would he turn down the opportunity to fight a former champion? Especially considering Rockhold is arguably past his prime.
Khamzat Chimaev could be waiting for Neil Magny
Khamzat Chimaev and welterweight veteran Neil Magny have been on each other's nerves since Magny lost to Michael Chiesa in January. Chimaev fired shots at the welterweight veteran via Twitter for losing to Chiesa. In response, Magny promised to slap the Chechen fighter as soon as they crossed paths.
Ali Abdelaziz later revealed in an interview that the UFC brass is working on pitting Chimaev against Neil Magny later this year.
"I know we had some back-and-forth talks with Neil Magny. Neil Magny fights in two weeks. Listen, if Neil Magny wins, maybe they can fight in August. Because nobody else, like Wonderboy, doesn't want to fight [Khamzat Chimaev]. It's not easy to fight a guy like him," added Ali Abdelaziz.
Check out Ali Abdelaziz's interview with Sirius XM below:
Do you think we will see Khamzat Chimaev compete in 2021? Let us know in the comments!
