UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev was in attendance at UFC Fight NIght 265 in Doha, Qatar this past weekend, where he gave an updated timeline as to when we can expect to see him back in the Octagon.

“My return — after Ramadan,” Chimaev told Adam Zubayraev in the build-up to event in Qatar. “Right now, I have a small operation on my foot. I’ll step away from training for a couple of weeks, heal my wound. So we’ll prepare after Ramadan, whoever they give me, I’ll face.”

Ramadan next year takes place between February 17th and March 19th, and given that he’ll be fasting during that time it’s likely he wouldn’t be ready to compete until April at the earliest.

Khamzat won the 185lb title back in August with a unanimous decision victory over Dricus du Plessis, taking his career record to 15-0, including a nine-fight winning streak in the UFC.

The first challenger for his title has yet to be confirmed, but the most likely option would appear to be Nassourdine Imavov, who is currently the No.2 ranked contender after putting together a five-fight winning streak that includes victories in 2025 over former champion Israel Adesanya and Caio Borralho.