Khamzat Chimaev emotional but not retired

It looks like Khamzat Shimaev may not be done fighting yet, after all.

As a cryptic Instagram post on Monday cast doubt on whether the fast-growing prospect would continue his run in the Octagon, UFC President Dana White said Chimaev – who is currently in Las Vegas in treatment for a persistent case of COVID-19 – had an emotional moment. but is not ready to call it a career.

“When he got here the doctors took care of him and they put him on prednisone, which is a nasty f * cking steroid,” White told MMA Junkie. “So he’s on prednisone, and he’s supposed to take this stuff and relax, relax and let it recover. He walked in and practiced today, felt like crap, and got super emotional and posted that.

“He’s not supposed to be training, but you know this guy is a savage.” He wants to fight like every fucking weekend, and now he can’t even train, so he just got emotional and posted that, but he just keeps on going.

Originally published in Russian, a Google translation of Shimaev’s text certainly gave the impression that he was ready to retire. Add photos to Instagram Stories of what appears to be blood in a sink, and the condition clearly didn’t look positive for the 26-year-old prospect (

I want to say thank you to everyone for their support in my way in this sport я I think I am done, yes I know I did not take the belt, but it is not the most important victory of this life, it can upset you, but my heart and my body tell me everything.
I want to say a big thank you to my team @allstarsgymsweden 🙏🏼
I want to say a big thank you @ufc 🙏🏼

Chimaev’s manager Ali Abdelaziz did not immediately respond to a request for comment from MMA Junkie. However, White said he spoke directly to Shimaev and still believes the Chechnya-born fighter will make his return to the Octagon in June.

But first, he must follow the doctor’s orders.

“He was brought here so that we could take care of him,” White said. “We take care of him. They made him take medication. He’s gonna be fine, and he walks in and starts to practice fucking. He’s not supposed to be training and he’s super frustrated.

“He trains when he’s supposed to be resting. He should stay at rest, at least while he is taking this medicine.

Chimaev (9-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) last saw the action last September, when he scored a 17-second knockout against middleweight Gerald Meerschaert. The victory marked Chimaev’s third unbeaten UFC victory in his first two months on the roster.