In a startling confession, UFC CEO Dana White has admitted that trying to figure out if Khamzat Chimaev will make it to the Octagon or not has become an issue for the boss! ‘Borz’ was scheduled to take on former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker on June 22 in the UFC’s debut event in Saudi Arabia. Chimaev last fought at UFC 294 in 2023, where he took on Kamaru Usman as a short-notice replacement for his original opponent, Paulo Costa, who had to withdraw from the fight due to complications with an infection in his arm.

However, the fandom was sent reeling when the UFC head honcho recently announced on social media that Chimaev is now out of the bout against Whittaker due to being, “violently ill”. As such, the promotion was forced to scramble to make a replacement and they ended up pulling Ikram Aliskerov from his UFC Vegas 93 slot on June 15 to take on ‘The Reaper’ in the Riyadh event instead.

Speaking on an episode of ‘The Jim Rome Show’, White highlighted his frustration with the situation by stating, “The problem is we really don’t know every time this guy gets close to a fight. I saw video footage of him on the ground violently ill. He was hospitalized again… Every time he gets close to fighting, he gets really sick. I don’t know. I don’t know what to say. It’s not like he’s over here in this country and we’ve had doctors here look at him or anything like that. He’s sort of out of touch so it’s tough to deal with.”  

Khamzat Chimaev’s struggles are nothing new as back in 2020, he contracted COVID-19 and as such, pulled out from his bout against Leon Edwards. His opponent later also tested positive, and the bout was postponed. However, due to Chimaev dealing with the lingering effects of COVID-19, the fight ended up being canceled completely by the promotion later.

Now, with another health scare, the undefeated UFC star has found himself on the wrong side of the fans, as the community took to social media to make their not-so-kind thoughts known about his inactivity and his struggles with health issues. Here’s a look at what the fandom had to say.

Fans not happy with Khamzat Chimaev as Dana White reveals his ‘frustration’ with ‘Borz’s medical issues 

A fan claimed that Dana White’s statement is just a diplomatic way of highlighting his frustration with Khamzat Chimaev’s consistent issues with being able to step into the cage.

“Basically saying “im getting tired of this sh*t”

One fan didn’t hold back at all in their response as they called for Khamzat Chimaev to be “cut from the roster” and claimed that he is now “irrelevant” due to his inactivity and that his ‘hype’ was only built by fighting “lower level” fighters in the UFC.

“He is irrelevant now cut him from the roster and move on, he has slowly been getting exposed anyway, he was only fighting back to back when it was against lower level fighters and now he barely makes it to fights against higher level fighters.”

Another member of the community took a hilarious jab at ‘Borz’s “immune system” but still came out to wish for his swift recovery

“P4P worst immune system in the ufc. But wish a speedy recovery for him”

Some brought up Chimaev’s debut in the UFC in 2020 when he won back-to-back fights against John Phillips and Rhys McKee via finishes in just 10 days and broke the record for the quickest turnaround time for a fighter in the modern era!

“Remember when he fought twice in ten days?”

Fans also compared Khamzat Chimaev’s situation with Zabit Magomedsharipov, who also went undefeated in his UFC run before career-threatening health issues forced him to retire from active competition in 2022 with his last fight taking place in 2019

“Quickly becoming the biggest what if (right there with Zhabit).. Dude stormed onto the scene beat Burns & Usman within 5-6 fights but seems like covid & maybe him training to hard (the stories from his camp are wild) are derailing it all. Such a shame.”

Some fans speculated that Chimaev’s constant bouncing around between middleweight and welterweight is the reason behind his health issues as they claimed his “body can’t handle it.”

“When he starts cut weight/diet his body just can’t handle it, he’s always had weight problems”

Another member of the community also indicated that the UFC’s reliance on Chimaev to headline PPV events needs to be re-adjusted in light of his struggles to make it to the Octagon on fight night.

“Maybe stop pointing at the top of ppvs? If he can’t be relied upon then don’t have the card rest on his shoulders.”

In conclusion, while some fans still hope for Khamzat Chimaev’s recovery and return, others are increasingly vocal about their impatience, with a few even suggesting that the UFC should cut him from the roster. ‘Borz’s once bright future now seemingly hangs in the balance, as he battles to overcome these health challenges and reclaim his place in the UFC.

Do you think Khamzat Chimaev will be able to bounce back and regain his momentum in the UFC? Why or Why not? Share your thoughts in the comments below!