Undefeated UFC sensation Khamzat Chimaev is feeling better from his battle with COVID-19 and already targeting his Octagon return.
Chimaev, who racked off three UFC wins in three months last summer, has been sidelined since December due to the coronavirus. “Borz” tried to reschedule failed attempts to square off with welterweight contender Leon Edwards, but his symptoms weren’t getting any better and it stopped him from training.
Earlier this month, UFC officials flew Chimaev out to Las Vegas to get proper treatment for his COVID-19 symptoms, which included compromised lungs. Chimaev recently posted a photo of himself alongside UFC president Dana White thanking the promotion for its help and revealing that he’s feeling much better after receiving “first class” treatment.
“Want to say thank you to @danawhite and @ufc Give me medical treatment and taking care of me first class thank you and I’m very grateful see in June”
Chimaev, 26, is hoping to make his fourth trip to the Octagon sometime in June. If all goes well with his healing process and his training resumes without issue then that’s certainly a possibility. Remember, Chimaev fought two times in 10 days back in July so he doesn’t need much time to prepare for a fight.
While “Borz” missed out on a prime opportunity to meet Edwards inside of the cage he could land another veteran welterweight in his return. Neil Magny has been chomping at the bit to teach Chimaev a lesson — evening threatening to slap the Chechen fighter on sight — and that seems to be a likely matchup moving forward.
Chimaev took to social media early Saturday to throw some shade at Magny and promise to give the veteran contender a real Chechen experience when they meet later this year.
Be ready in June i’m going to give you real Chechen inside the cage and outside @danawhite @seanshelby https://t.co/mNzdaExhX9
— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) February 27, 2021
“Be ready in June i’m going to give you real Chechen inside the cage and outside”
Magny, who has been part of the UFC’s welterweight division for the past eight years, is coming off a decision loss to streaking contender Michael Chiesa back in January. Despite the loss, Magny is still 4-2 inside of the Octagon since the start of 2018 and would be a great test for Chimaev as he tries climb the UFC rankings as quickly as possible.
Stick with Mania for more details on Chimaev’s recovery and eventual UFC return.