Khamzat Chimaev says he’s about to undergo surgery, but also sent a warning to any fighter he could step into the octagon with next.
The undefeated UFC competitor did an Instagram live stream to answer fan questions and provide an update on his injured right hand following a majority decision win over Kamaru Usman at UFC 294 in October.
“I’m going to do surgery, [an] operation in one, two weeks, after that [I’ll] do the recovery, come back, smash somebody,” Chimaev said (h/t MMA Crazy).
After badly missing weight ahead of UFC 279 for a scheduled welterweight main event bout with Nate Diaz in September 2022, Chimaev went on to face Kevin Holland at the event and picked up a first-round submission victory. “Borz” then made the move to 185 pound and was slated to face Paulo Costa, however a nasty infection forced Costa out of the fight, which led to Usman stepping in on short notice.
Chimaev injured his right hand early in the bout with the former welterweight champion, and after a dominant first round where Chimaev picked up a trio of 10-8 scorecards from the judges, Usman was able to turn the tide and make things very competitive down the stretch, which left fans with more questions than answers following the event.
As far as when the rising promotional star would like to return, when asked about UFC 300, Chimaev seemed pretty excited about the idea.
“Tell Dana White, make that happen,” Chimaev responded.
