‘I Started Coughing Up Blood’- Khamzat Chimaev Details Horrifying Experience With Covid

Published 03/29/2021, 6:29 AM EDT

The rising UFC fighter, Khamzat Chimaev, fought 3 times in nearly 3 months back in 2020. He impressively stopped his opponents and was riding the hype train very comfortably. Chimaev was scheduled in a big fight with Leon Edwards, a top 5 welterweight.

This fight would have given him a huge push in getting the title shot quickly and was booked thrice. However, it got called off twice due to Chimaev suffering from the after-effects of Covid-19.

‘Borz’ was coughing blood and as his condition became very serious, he withdrew from the fight. ‘Rocky’ Edwards stayed on the card and fought the replacement fighter, Belal Muhammad.

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Khamzat Chimaev was recently interviewed by RT Sport and was asked why he left Las Vegas when dealing with those health issues.

Chimaev said, “Yes, it was good. But they made me train. I was doing good at first, then they told me that I could start cardio training and I felt sick again. I went to the bathroom and started coughing up blood. That just messed up my mind a bit. Honestly, it scared me… Cancer? Like ‘I have been sick for so long- why doesn’t it go away?’ Different thoughts were going through my mind plus I was alone there in Las Vegas struggling to overcome it all.”

Khamzat Chimaev nearly called time on his MMA career

Chimaev felt all alone when he was back in Vegas as he had no friends over there. ‘Borz’ admitted that he was nearly on the verge of death, as many people have already lost their lives because of this virus.

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He almost retired when he was sick, but many people including UFC President Dana White convinced him to change his mind. Now, as per reports, ‘Borz’ has recovered and started with his light training. The fighter said, “As soon as Ramadan is over we will begin working at 100%.”

The fans could see a return of the Swedish-Russian welterweight after Ramadan and hopefully, he will recover properly to return to his best.

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Would you like to see the UFC booking the Chimaev vs Edwards fight for the fourth time?

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Saurabh Singh Laledia is an MMA enthusiast who works as a UFC writer for EssentiallySports. His passion for the UFC infused with his knowledge of various fight styles such as Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu motivated him to pursue a career in combat sports journalism, as it would be where he could exhibit his expert views and unbiased opinions whilst keeping the fan’s perspective alive. He started watching the sport at UFC 53 in 2005 when ‘The Ace’ Rich Franklin beat Evan Turner to claim the belt and has traced the journey of the middleweight title right from 'The Spider' to 'The Last Stylebender'.

‘I Started Coughing Up Blood’- Khamzat Chimaev Details Horrifying Experience With Covid

Khamzat Chimaev nearly called time on his MMA career

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