“It’s never been easy for me.” Chimaev was eager for the title, but now he’s on the brink
Sergey Sorokin July 5, 2024, 20:00 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
Weird fights, health issues, and division jumps.
Khamzat Chimaev is one of the most interesting fighters in UFC history. He quickly gained popularity in the best promotion on the planet. He also became Dana White’s favorite when he asked for a second fight in a week. I got it, entered the octagon and won. But those days are long gone. Now Borz rarely appears in the cage, systematically experiences health problems and jumps from weight class to weight class. And, apparently, he lost the favor of the UFC bosses. Especially after his fight with Robert Whittaker at the historic tournament in Saudi Arabia failed.
Khamzat is finding it increasingly difficult to organize fights:
“He gets sick every time a fight comes up.” Chimaev went from UFC favorite to problem
Concerns are beginning to emerge that Khamzat’s career could now decline dramatically. And some even believe that Borz is at risk of completing it very soon. Dana, who rarely berates Chimaev, seemed very irritated at the press conference. But now White has harshly criticised one of his favourites: “The problem is that we don’t know what’s wrong with him. Every time a fight comes up, he starts to get sick. Now he hasn’t trained for 3-5 days, so we couldn’t let him go out and fight. I remember Chimaev when he was young on Fight Island. He asked to let him fight twice in two weeks and we booked the fight for him. He looked great. But now he’s sick. I don’t know what else to say. And no, he’s not at our disposal, our doctors can’t examine him or run tests. We don’t have access to him, so it’s not easy.”
Borz was predicted to receive a championship belt and incredible glory. And Chimaev constantly proved his worth, again and again dealing wonderfully with his opponents. But since 2021, Khamzat has appeared in the cage only four times. Moreover, his two victories raised big questions. At first, Gilbert Burns came close to sending Borz to the canvas several times and even finishing him off. Then there was a controversial win with Kamaru Usman, who was defeated only by a majority decision of the judges. Of course, later everything was attributed to the fracture received in the first round. But the fact remains a fact.
Khamzat Chimaev
Photo: James Gilbert/Getty Images
Four fights in four years is far from what a champion should achieve. In comparison, Islam Makhachev had twice as many appearances in the octagon during the same period – eight. And perhaps some questions arose about the first fight with Alexander Volkanovski. The Russian won all other fights with maximum confidence. Trying to jump between divisions also does not have the best effect. Khamzat fought seven fights during his UFC career. One of them is in the catchweight category. He competed three more times in the middleweight and welterweight divisions. And the fighter cannot limit himself to just one.
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Now Khamzat has made a statement. And, in his opinion, he intends to pave the way for a triumphant return. But the question arises as to how far Chimaev himself is actually prepared. So far, unfortunately, everything resembles the situation with Conor McGregor. He also says a lot that he will soon be back in the octagon. But instead, he breaks up fights and continues to be active only on social media. The notary has long been sent into sports retirement. Now the same messages are being heard addressed to Chimaev. But he does not stop responding to them.
Khamzat Chimaev
Undefeated Chechen fighter competing in the UFC’s middleweight division
“Tough times make strong men. It’s never been easy for me and I never thought it would get easier. I’ll soon show everyone who’s king here.”
I would like to believe that Borz will not follow the path that Conor chose. Of course, Khamzat is quite unstable and often interrupts fights. But every fight is greeted with delight and turns out to be hot. And there is no denying Chimaev’s incredible talent, as well as his fantastic hard work. If he finds the strength, he will be able to come back and fight for the belt again. But will his health fail him again? Great question.
