Watch: Khamzat Chimaev continues his training and recovery near scenic Lake Kezenoyam in Chechnya for UFC return
Popular UFC middleweight Khamzat Chimaev has been training near the beautiful Lake Kezenoyam in his home country of Chechnya. 'Borz' hit the pads and shadowboxed with fellow MMA fighters Rustam Edilsultanov and Yakub Sulimanov.
Championship Rounds posted a video of Chimaev's training on X with the caption:
"🏔️ Khamzat Chimaev training in the mountains 💪"
This is good news for fans of Khamzat Chimaev, who had to pull out of his June 22 bout with Robert Whittaker due to a "violent" illness. 'Borz' and 'The Reaper' were supposed to headline the UFC's fight card in Saudi Arabia, which would have pulled many fans in the region due to Chimaev's Muslim background.
Instead, the Chechen warrior was replaced by Ikram Aliskerov, who was then knocked out by Whittaker in the first round.
Khamzat Chimaev's rocky and problematic UFC run so far
Khamzat Chimaev made one of the most impressive debut years in UFC history in 2020. Compiling three stoppage wins from July to September, 'Borz' set the record for the fastest three-fight winning streak in modern UFC history (66 days) and the quickest turnaround win (10 days) in the modern era.
From there, things began to take a turn for the Chechen warrior. From December 2020 to March 2021, Chimaev suffered three failed fight bookings with future UFC welterweight king Leon Edwards due to complications caused by COVID-19.
A few months later, Chimaev debuted at welterweight and booked back-to-back wins over Li Jingliang and former divisional title challenger Gilbert Burns. In September 2022, 'Borz' failed to meet the welterweight limit in his match with Nate Diaz, weighing in at 178.5 pounds. Diaz was replaced by middleweight standout Kevin Holland, who was then submitted by Chimaev in the opening round.
After taking a year off, Chimaev returned to middleweight to face Paulo Costa. Costa pulled out due to surgery and was replaced by UFC welterweight champ Kamaru Usman. 'Borz' won via majority decision.
By the time he withdrew from the Whittaker fight last month, Chimaev ranked no.11 in the UFC middleweight rankings. Some argue that he should be ranked higher, if not for his health and weight mishaps in the past few years.