Khamzat Chimaev plans break from fighting due to injuries if desired UFC turnaround doesn’t happen

Fans might be waiting a while to see Khamzat Chimaev fight again if he isn’t booked this year.

Chimaev went as far as to tag Dana White directly when calling for the promotion to offer him a fight so that he can compete again in 2026.

It appears that this might be difficult to pull off, with Chimaev being told that his targeted opponents aren’t available due to them currently being injured.

‘Borz’ has now revealed that he has a deadline in mind before he decides to delay his return in order to deal with some issues that will require time off.

After winning the middleweight title last year, an injury prevented Khamzat Chimaev from making the quick turnaround that he was originally calling for.

It has been a long time since fans saw the version of ‘Borz’ that produced consecutive UFC wins within the space of ten days for various reasons.

Chimaev has said that the UFC booked Sean Strickland’s next fight right after he suggested that he was open to matchups that aren’t an immediate rematch.

The former champion recently revealed that while he was originally pushing for a fight in October, he’s now pushed his targeted return back to December.

However, with Chimaev having several issues that he needs to take time off to address, he plans on taking a break if his next fight doesn’t end up taking place before the end of the year.

“If nothing happens in October or December, I think I’ll take a little break,” he told Adam Zubayraev. “I have a lot of injuries that I need to get treated. I’ve been putting off my surgeries, putting them off, putting them off, and I go into every fight with some kind of problem.

“I don’t really like talking about my problems or injuries. People already know that I get sick often. That’s just how it is with me. I don’t have half of my thyroid gland. I’ve been under anaesthesia seven times and had six surgeries and a lot of injuries and I still do.”

“The Almighty has ordained this for me. I still have to live my life,” Chimaev added when being asked whether he’s particularly prone to illness.

Khamzat Chimaev’s return to the Octagon will be one of the most significant matchups on the schedule when it’s eventually booked.

There’s no denying that his stock took a big hit last time out after he lost his title and undefeated record to Sean Strickland.

Proving that the issues he faced heading into the fight impacted his performance will be a big step for ‘Borz’, though the outcome wasn’t all bad.

Chimaev said during the video that he gained a million followers despite questions around how much this bout damaged his star power.