UFC welterweight prospect Khamzat Chimaev appears to have a tracheostomy scar following his scary battle with COVID-19 earlier this year.

Chimaev was supposed to be one of the UFC’s biggest stars in 2021, but it has been a forgettable year for the young Swede so far. Earlier this year, Chimaev contracted COVID-19 and had to pull out of his scheduled bout with Leon Edwards twice. Chimaev had such a scary situation with his health that he even considered retiring before he got healthier, changed his mind, and decided to return to the sport. He is now targeting a return later this summer or fall and has been calling out Nick Diaz in hopes of a big comeback fight.

Ahead of his comeback, Chimaev posted a new photo where you can see him with a tracheostomy scar. As FightOracle points out, this could be why he retired briefly.

Chimeav’s battle with covid was no joke. Explains why he retired briefly. Intubation scar. pic.twitter.com/PnbZONa5CC

— FightOracle ™ (@fightoracle) May 2, 2021

Chimaev’s battle with covid was no joke. Explains why he retired briefly. Intubation scar.

It is worth noting that Chimaev’s manager said that it was a cyst that was removed and that the scar was not directly COVID-19 related as online speculation has it. Speaking recently to FrontKick Online, Majdi Shammas indicated that it was a cyst that was removed.

“They removed a cyst,” Shammas said.

Hopefully, Chimaev is now fully healthy, because if he is able to return to the cage this summer or fall, it would be a huge boost to the UFC welterweight division. Chimaev turned heads in 2020 when he finished John Phillips, Rhys McKee, and Gerald Meerschaert in an absolutely devastating fashion, and UFC president Dana White called him one of the three biggest stars for the company to watch out for in 2021. Unfortunately, health issues have slowed his comeback to the cage, but hopefully he will fight again very soon.

Who do you want to see Khamzat Chimaev fight in his return to the Octagon?