Khamzat Chimaev reveals hand Injuries, targets UFC middleweight title return.
Khamzat Chimaev reveals hand injuries, targets UFC middleweight title return. Khamzat Chimaev is planning a short break to deal with nagging hand injuries, but the former UFC middleweight champion insists he has no intention of staying away from competition for long,
Chimaev reveals that years of punching hard have taken a toll on his hands and says he may need just one or two months to recover before returning to training and competition. “I want to fight,” Chimaev told MMA Fighting on Thursday. “That’s why I want to fight. It’s not crazy big injuries where you need to be off from sparring. It’s just my hands. I punch hard so I always have problems with my hands and I have to fix it. “It’s not going to take a long time but people think Khamzat is not going to fight. If I do break off, it’s going to be one or two months. Still going to be doing recovery, training.”
Chimaev’s ultimate goal remains another run at the UFC middleweight championship. He loses the belt to Sean Strickland by split decision at UFC 328 in May, suffering the first defeat of his professional MMA career. Before that loss, Chimaev captures the title by defeating Dricus du Plessis via unanimous decision at UFC 319.
With Strickland expected to face Nassourdine Imavov next, Chimaev understands that another immediate title shot is unlikely. Instead, he is looking to stay active while waiting for the middleweight title picture to develop. Chimaev says Caio Borralho is the only fighter who has accepted his callout, although Borralho’s injury means the matchup could not happen in October. Borralho tells Chimaev he could be ready in November or December.
“Only Caio [Borralho] wanted to fight, but he had an injury when I asked about October,” Chimaev said. “He said November or December, he will be ready.” Chimaev is not particularly concerned about getting an immediate rematch with Strickland. His priority is reclaiming the UFC middleweight title, regardless of who holds it when he gets his next opportunity. When asked about the potential Strickland-Imavov title fight, Chimaev says he is willing to face whoever emerges as champion. He also picks Imavov as the fighter he expects to win the matchup. “I would be happy who is the winner if they come back faster Nassourdine or Sean, who is the winner, I want to fight this guy,” Chimaev said. “It’s a tough fight. But I go for Nassourdine.”
For now, Chimaev’s next UFC fight remains unconfirmed. But with his focus firmly on recovering his hands and returning to competition, the former champion appears intent on making another run at the middleweight crown.
