Khamzat Chimaev is one of the most exciting new fighters that the UFC has on their roster. His first three fights in the promotion were headline-snatchers. He got a bout against the #3 ranked Leon Edwards on hype alone. However, he hasn’t made the walk down to the cage after his third fight last October.

Despite being booked to face Edwards, Chimaev has been struggling to recover from COVID. He even announced his retirement a few months ago, but it was quickly shot down by Dana White and the Chechen leader. But his manager Ali Abdelaziz has an update on when we should expect Chimaev to return.

Chechen Leader Steps in To Stop Khamzat Chimaev From Retiring?

“We’ll see him at the end of July (or) August. Even Dana (White) was asking me the other day. I told him the end of July or August he’ll fight. I told Sean (Shelby), too. Realistically, I think it’s time to slow it down a little bit, but I think he’s going to make a (bigger) statement on the comeback. He’s going to keep climbing.

“He’s a special talent, he’s a superstar, I believe, in the making. All of us will see. Everyone who understands MMA will understand what Khamzat brings. It is what it is, and we have to move on. Sickness can’t control that.” (h/t MMAJunkie)

Khamzat Chimaev: How will his return play out?

Khamzat Chimaev will not be in the same position on the card that he was after his win last October. A fight against Leon Edwards looks to be off the table, as Edwards is now booked to face Nate Diaz. However, there are many Welterweights in the rankings that can take this fight.

Chimaev won’t get someone ranked in the top five unless Colby Covington decides to take that step down. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have options. There are fighters like Neil Magny, Michael Chiesa, Geoff Neal, etc. who would be willing to take a high-profile fight like this. Chimaev could even move back up to Middleweight.

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The UFC and Chimaev’s management will have to be careful with Chimaev’s return. While he wants to fight top contenders, he may just end up taking a set-up fight for his return to see if he is back at full strength. But the return is coming sooner than expected.