03 January 2024 , 12:22
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UFC star Khamzat Chimaev has fans worried for his health after posting and deleting a series of concerning pictures.
Little has been heard from Chimaev, 29, since he extended his unbeaten run to 13 fights by winning a hard-fought decision against Kamaru Usman last October. 'Borz' was supposed to fight Paulo Costa at the event but former welterweight world champion Usman stepped on 10 days' notice to save the event after Costa pulled out with an injury.
It appears Chimaev has been battling with illness over the Christmas period as his face looked extremely swollen in a now-deleted picture. The Russian was also dealing with a rash that covered his whole upper body and had to be put on a ventilator in hospital. "I was very sick my hand was injured so I couldn't return right away," he wrote.
Khamzat Chimaev didn't look well in the pictures
The UFC star had an extremely bloodshot eye"I want to see myself in battle more than all of you, I love this job. I will do and prove that I am the best, as I always do, and I will be back to training very soon." Just hours after deleting the post, Chimaev uploaded a video showing himself in much better health as he said: "I'm coming back soon for my belts."
Fans voiced their concerns for Chimaev as one user wrote: "I truly hope he recovers fully and takes care of his health cause this is really a reoccurring thing it seems." Another comment read: "Just remember that health is always number one. We all want to see you return to the cage and take all the belts, but we’d rather you be healthy."
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"Looks like it could be a viral infection. Strong antibiotics course but then again he's got a breathing device on so not sure," a third user added. "Damn I wonder what he's got if it's measles or some kind of allergic reaction," another comment read before a final user put: "What happened with Khamzat? Autoimmune? Chicken pox?"
It's not the first time Chimaev has battled health issues during his UFC career as he retired two years ago due to lung complications after battling Covid-19. Chimaev's retirement didn't last long as he returned to the octagon later that year to choke out Li Jingliang in just one round.