It appears the UFC middleweight division is headed for a slowdown, with champion Khamzat Chimaev announcing a short-term MMA hiatus due to a foot injury. Suffice it to say, the fans are furious.During a recent interview with Russian sports journalist Adam Zubayraev, 'Borz' revealed that he is set to undergo a minor surgery on his foot, and as such, will be out until Ramadan:"My return - after Ramadan. Right now, I have a small operation on my foot. I'll step away from training for a couple of weeks, heal my wound." [H/t: ChampRDS on X]Check out Khamzat Chimaev's injury update below:This means the earliest Chimaev can return to full training is sometime after mid-March, essentially pushing any potential octagon return to April. Even if he competes in April, it would mark an eight-month gap after winning the title at UFC 319, a wait fans are already growing restless with.@menacemma_ wrote:"Becomes champ, immediately announces he's out until March. The most predictable storyline in the division right now."@TooLateBlue chimed in:"He's gonna have a loooooooong run as champ since he won't defend until 2037.'@FknFrozen stated:"Not a surprise. We all knew 1 title defense a year was on the menu."Check out a few more responses below:Screenshots courtesy: @ChampRDS on XChimaev is 15-0 in MMA and the No. 4-ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC. While he is considered one of the greatest grapplers to have ever graced the sport, constant health struggles have repeatedly stalled his momentum, leading many to wonder whether they would once again affect his championship reign.When ex-UFC star predicted Khamzat Chimaev as champion would be 'disastrous' for MMAAhead of UFC 319, former UFC fighter Din Thomas pulled no punches when stating his issue with Khamzat Chimaev potentially capturing the middleweight crown.While Chimaev mesmerized many with a trio of wins within his first three months in the promotion, constant health struggles and weight-cutting issues severely slowed down his ascent to eventual championship glory.During an appearance on The Bohnfire podcast, Thomas, wary of Chimaev's history of often failing to make it to the dance, claimed 'Borz' winning the championship would be counterproductive for the growth of the sport:"I'm going to keep it one hundred with you. If Khamzat wins, it’s a disaster, actually. You can’t tell me that a part of you is thinking, 'This fight actually might not happen.'... Some of these guys are just habitual in terms of not making it to the dance... If he does show up and he does win, do we trust him to be able to fight again?... We need movement. I hate when it’s just static, when there’s no movement in these divisions. In order for there to be movement in the divisions, the champions have to fight... If you’re a champion and you’re not willing to fight regularly, or when they need you to, it’s bad for the division, it’s bad for the sport." [23:06 minutes into the interview]