Khamzat Chimaev may have appeared on the Russian social media personality, Mikhail Litvin’s Instagram, to promote an energy drink. But fans took this opportunity to deride the Chechen fighter instead of supporting his promotional venture. In fact, most of them bashed ‘Borz’ for his affinity towards pulling out of fights.
Chimaev is easily one of the most exciting fighters in the current UFC roster. This is why fans await the dates of his fights pretty eagerly after the official announcements. However, all of that excitement turns into severe disappointment once news spreads about Chimaev stepping down from the plate for some reason or the other.
The image in Litvin’s Instagram post showcased Chimaev trying to choke him out with a rear-naked choke. The English translation of the Russian caption read:
“Welcome to the @khamzat_chimaev family. The strong should stay strong. But the rib didn’t have to be broken”
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However, the comments section of the post made it evident that not many paid attention to the caption. Instead, there were a plethora of comments that ridiculed Chimaev for his affinity towards pulling out of fights.
One of them read, “Mr pull out”
Another fan penned, “Now I finally understand why he withdrew from the fight”
A follower mentioned, “Careful @khamzat_chimaev! Don’t drink that energy drink. Wouldn’t want you to miss the next 6 months.”
One more comment portrayed a similar narrative saying, “And the Pull Off Championship goes to………”
Well, it’s quite apparent that the fan wanted to insert Chimaev’s name in the blank, but he left it to the imagination.
However, it is now quite surprising to think of how Chimaev’s initial years in the UFC showed a completely different side of him.
What caused such a massive decline in Khamzat Chimaev’s will to fight?
While Chimaev might still have the drive, that he portrayed back in his initial UFC days, he cannot do much if his body refuses to back him. The Russian used to be a lot more immune to injuries and sickness during his early days in the promotion, but now, dropping out of fights has become more of a habit for him.
Several UFC pundits have dedicated this decline to the fact that Chimaev had been diagnosed with COVID-19. Moreover, ‘Borz’ continued training even while he was infected, which also resulted in him coughing up blood once.
As of now, medical reports may say that Chimaev has recovered completely from his COVID infection. Still, fans believe that the pre and post-COVID Chimaev has a lot of differences, with a major one being falling sick at most intervals which forced him to pull out of fights.
