Khamzat Chimaev has flown to Las Vegas in the hopes of combating the long-term impacts of COVID-19.
The undefeated Swedish prospect contracted the coronavirus back in November and has since been forced to pull out of a fight against Leon Edwards twice while dealing with complications. While it was initially believed that it was just irregularities in medical tests that were preventing him from steeping into the cage, his manager says that the reality is much, much more severe.
“The other day when he finished training, on Tuesday, he couldn’t even walk up to his room,” Majdi Shammas told Frontkick Online. “He didn’t even have the energy to walk up to his room. He fell asleep in the lobby.”
“He can’t train. His friends called me and said, ‘Hey, Khamzat can’t even speak. His fever is so high, his headache is so much, you know, his muscle pain and everything.’ Then an ambulance came and got him to the hospital,” Shammas continued. “Even when he was in the hospital he called me like, when he called me he thought he was going to die. He was really bad.”
According to Brett Okamoto the UFC will bring Chimaev to the U.S in an effort to quicken his recovery.
The UFC is flying Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) into Las Vegas today, per his manager Ali Abdelaziz (@AliAbdelaziz00),” Okamoto wrote on social media. “He’ll receive medical care in the U.S. for lingering effects of Covid. Abdelaziz said he hopes Khamzat can fight by June, but longterm health is top priority.”
Chiamev burst onto the scene in 2020 with three highlight-reel wins. The 26-year-old demolished John Phillips at middleweight before taking out Rhys McKee at welterweight ten days later. Chimaev passed his first true test with flying colours when he knocked out Gerald Meerschaert with the first punch of their fight in September 2020.
Do you think Khamzat Chimaev will be fit enough to fight in June?