Khamzat
Chimaev will continue his battle against the lingering health
issues from COVID-19 in the United States.
According to a report from ESPN,
the UFC is flying the welterweight prospect into Las Vegas to
receive additional medical care. Chimaev was forced to withdraw
from a March 13 headlining clash with Leon
Edwards due to onging symptoms from the coronavirus. The goal
is for Chimaev to fight in June, but his longterm health will be
the primary concern.
Last week, in a video released on Frontkick.online’s
YouTube channel, manager Majdi Shammas revealed that Chimaev
“thought he was going to die” after one recent training
session.
“He was really bad. He didn’t even do two rounds straight. He did
one round and then rested,” Shammas said. “He started coughing,
started feeling ill again, and we had to cancel the training. He
even went in an ambulance to the hospital.”
Chimaev was a breakout star in 2020, earning dominant finishes of
John
Phillips, Rhys McKee
and Gerald
Meerschaert to quickly become of person of interest in the UFC
at 170 pounds. He was initially booked against Edwards at UFC Fight
Night 183 on Dec. 19, but that was fight was scrapped after Edwards
tested positive for COVID-19. Since then, ongoing problems from
Chimaev’s own battle with the virus resulted in cancellations of
the matchup with Edwards on Jan. 20 and March 13. The UFC is
expected to move on from the fight and seek a different opponent
for Edwards.