Khamzat Chimaev reveals potential timeline for UFC return
UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev has revealed his possible timeline for a return to the cage.
Earlier this year, Khamzat Chimaev dominated Dricus du Plessis to claim the UFC middleweight championship. It had been a long time coming in the eyes of many fans, pundits and fellow fighters, with Chimaev regularly being tipped for gold – even since his first few fights in the promotion.
While he hasn’t been as active as many would have hoped, Khamzat Chimaev has still managed to churn out a string of victories that have allowed him to reach the top of the middleweight division. Of course, everyone always wants to know what’s next, especially when you are as popular as Khamzat has become in the last couple of years.
In a recent vlog that he featured in, Khamzat Chimaev let the world know what kind of timeline we could be looking at for his comeback.
Khamzat Chimaev discusses desired return schedule
“My return, after Ramadan,” Chimaev told Adam Zubayraev. “Right now I have a small operation in my foot. I’ll step away from training for a couple of weeks, heal my wound. We’ll prepare after Ramadan, and whoever they give, that’s who I’ll face.”
Quotes via MMA Junkie
Ramadan is scheduled to take place between February 17th and March 18th. So, you would have to imagine that the earliest we are going to see Chimaev return would be in mid-Q2, given the amount of time he’d likely need to take in order to properly prepare for his next opponent.
While it’s not clear as to who exactly Khamzat will face, he hasn’t been shy about his desire to go up to light heavyweight in search of a second world title. Alas, given how much of that has been going on recently, Dana White may prefer for him to try and fend off potential contenders at 185 pounds.
Either way, ‘Borz’ has the potential to be one of the biggest stars in all of combat sports, and if he’s going to do that, fans will be hoping to see him be a bit more active in mid-to-late 2026 and beyond.
