Khamzat Chimaev's team updates on 'Borz's' UFC return, expressing optimism for comeback in 2024: "Will depend on his condition"
Khamzat Chimaev recently provided an update on his octagon return, which was quite optimistic from others that have come out this past week. Many have speculated that his career could be in jeopardy but it appears as though fans might be seeing him compete again this year.
The No.11 ranked middleweight was unfortunately forced to withdraw from his UFC Saudi Arabia main event against Robert Whittaker due to an illness. Since he withdrew from the event, his teammate Alexander Gustafsson has even revealed that 'Borz' deals with health issues when his training becomes more rigorous.
The bout against Whittaker was a significant one as a win could have very well secured a middleweight title shot for 'Borz'. Championship Rounds tweeted a statement from Chimaev's team, where they mentioned that Chimaev can possibly compete this coming October at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi barring any health issues. The tweet read:
"Khamzat Chimaev's team says he can fight at #UFC308 in Abu Dhabi on October 26th. 'Khamzat can fight at the tournament in Abu Dhabi in October. But everything will depend on his condition.'" (via TASS)
Check out Championship Rounds' tweet regarding Khamzat Chimaev below:
![Championship Rounds' tweet regarding Chimaev's potential return [Image courtesy: @ChampRDS - X]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/06/11051-17192564601369-1920.jpg?w=500)
What did Alexander Gustafsson say about Khamzat Chimaev's health issues?
Alexander Gustafsson recently provided an update on his teammate Khamzat Chimaev, which wasn't as optimistic as the one that followed.
After 'Borz' was forced to withdraw from his main event bout against Robert Whittaker, the former light heavyweight title challenger revealed that his teammate had been dealing with ongoing health issues. Championship Rounds tweeted a quote from Papa Kuranchie's interview with Gustafsson in which he detailed Chimaev's struggles during training camp. He said:
"I've seen when he increases his training a lot, I know his body reacts differently to the training. I don't know where it comes from...I can't even imagine how frustrated he is, I know he doesn't feel good at all...He trains so hard, it's inhuman the way he trains. But his illness is not because he overtrains, this is a whole different level of illness."
Check out Alexander Gustafsson's comments below:
![Championship Rounds' tweet regarding Gustafsson's comments about Chimaev [Image courtesy: @ChampRDS - X]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/06/630a6-17192570927219-1920.jpg)