UFC 328 headliner Khamzat Chimaev will retire when he’s not having fun: “Right now, I’m happy”

Khamzat Chimaev believes he knows what will be the deciding factor when retirement inevitably crosses his mind.

Chimaev is early in his UFC Middleweight Championship run with his first defense scheduled for May 9. “Borz” is hoping to thwart the challenge of Sean Strickland in the UFC 328 main event in Newark. Some have already hurled the retirement label at Chimaev given his past inactivity and prior health issues.

For Chimaev, now isn’t the time to walk away from the sport of MMA. Appearing on “Beyond The Win,” Chimaev insisted that he has more work to do before he can be satisfied with hanging up his gloves (h/t Bloody Elbow).

“Far away to stop now,” Chimaev said. “Some people were talking before my last fight, after this fight he finish his career and this and that. From my side, it’s something I need to work on for a long time.”

Chimaev then noted that when he’s no longer having a good time preparing for fights and stepping inside the Octagon, that’s when he’ll do something else.

“Legacy, I never think about much. ‘It’s all about the legacy’, legacy gonna come by itself but I enjoy my job,” he said. “I like to train, I like to fly to other countries, beat somebody up, take the money and come back again. When they day will come when I’m not enjoying my job, then I will finish. But right now, I’m happy with it.”

As he draws near the age of 32, the undefeated 185-pound champion is in the prime of his fighting career. If he can continue to display dominance in his fights, Chimaev could very well achieve new heights, such as a move to the light heavyweight division.

Do you expect Khamzat Chimaev to keep fighting for years to come or do you see an early retirement in the future of “Borz.” Sound off in the comments below.