Early this week Khamzat Chimaev (9-0) announced his retirement. The undefeated mixed martial artist has been facing health issues – the aftereffects of COVID-19, which forced his bout with Leon Edward to be postponed a number of times.
Appearing on The Jim Rome Show, UFC President Dana White shared some insight on what is currently going on. However, he said he did not know what the future held for the fighter, who “has the abilities to be a world champion”.
“I thought it was crazy,” Dana White said when asked about his immediate reaction to Chimaev’s post about retirement on Instagram. “We’ve just talked to this guy. I just flew him out here [Vegas] to get him looked up by doctors out here.”
“The problem is the guy has no patience whatsoever. He wants to fight every weekend. He knows he has the abilities to be a world champion, he wants it now, he doesn’t want to wait. They had him on Prednisone, which is a nasty steroid to help his lounges recover… And the guy is going to the gym and training, when he is not suppose to be. He is supposed to be relaxing. He is supposed get through this prescription. Then they gonna find out how he looks.. And he wouldn’t wait. He just keeps on training. And He can’t do that, when you have what he’s got going on.”
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Chimaev made his UFC debut in July 2020, when he submitted John Phillips in Round 2. Ten days later he stopped Rhys McKee in Round 1. In his previous outing last September he knocked out Gerald Meerschaert in 17 seconds with first punch.
“You love guys like this. This is a type of guys that fight fans want to see fighting, and want to follow and get behind. But trying to contain and control this guy to do the right thing is absolutely impossible.”
“To be honest with you, I have no idea what’s gonna happen with him. I don’t know.” White concluded.
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