Khamzat Chimaev is gearing up for a medical hiatus due to a recent injury.
Chimaev, with a flawless record of 13-0 in professional MMA (7-0 in the UFC), suffered a ligament tear in his right hand during his bout against Kamaru Usman at UFC 294, back in October this year.
This injury requires surgery, which Chimaev plans to undergo within the next couple of weeks.
During an Instagram Live session, as shared by MMA Crazy, Chimaev shared insights into his recovery and future plans:
I’m going to do a surgery, operation in one, two weeks.
After that, do the recovery, come back, smash somebody.
The fight with Usman was a pivotal moment for Chimaev, potentially setting him up as the next middleweight title contender.
However, his injury has temporarily derailed these plans, paving the way for Dricus Du Plessis to challenge middleweight champion Sean Strickland at UFC 297.
Strickland, who was skeptical of Chimaev’s qualifications as a title contender, will now face Du Plessis on January 20 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
Nevertheless, fight fans are eager to watch Chimaev in action as soon as possible again. And Chimaev appears to be as well.
When probed about a potential return at UFC 300 in April, he said:
Tell Dana White to make that happen.
