On Monday evening, Khamzat Chimaev—one of the UFC’s rising stars—appeared to announce his retirement from MMA due to health complications arising from COVID-19.
Chimaev, 26, had reportedly been hospitalized on numerous occasions after contracting COVID-19 last year. During one such stint, the Chechen native told his manager that he believed he was going to die. Later, he posted a picture on his Instagram story that showed a spray of blood in a sink, which underscores the serious long-term complications that plague many people recovering from the virus. Faced with a demoralizing situation, Chimaev took to social media to announce he was “done” with the sport.