MMA fans were left stunned when it was recently revealed by UFC CEO Dana White that Khamzat Chimaev is out of his June 22 clash against Robert Whittaker scheduled to take place in Saudi Arabia! The promotion’s debut in the region was supposed to be headlined by the no.1 contender middleweight clash between ‘Borz’ and the former 185 lbs champion, Whittaker.

However, the UFC has scrambled to find a replacement for the highly anticipated bout in Ikram Aliskerov, who was originally supposed to be fighting on the UFC Vegas 93 card on June 15. Chimaev reportedly pulled out due to a serious medical issue and Aliskerov’s coach has now come out to make a statement on ‘Borz’s condition!

 Ikram Aliskerov’s coach addresses Khamzat Chimaev’s difficult situation

Khamzat Chimaev last stepped into the Octagon to face Kamaru Usman at UFC 294 in 2023, after his original opponent, Paulo Costa, had to withdraw from the fight due to complications in his arm from a staph infection. While Chimaev did win the fight via a majority decision, many experts pointed out that Usman, who stepped in on 2-weeks notice and at a higher weight-class, appeared to have given ‘Borz’ all he could handle over the 3 rounds. 

As such, fans were excited to see the no. 10 ranked middleweight get back into the cage and continue his rise through the division. But in an update shared on X, UFC boss Dana White announced that “Khamzat Chimaev is out of the fight next weekend in Saudi Arabia. Violently, and I mean, violently ill. So, he’s going back home and hopefully, he gets well soon.”

He also announced Ikram Aliskerov as the replacement for ‘Borz’ in the video and proclaimed that, “…this guy is 15-1, his only loss in a 16 fight pro career is to Khamzat Chimaev. So this dude is a legit contender in only his 3rd UFC fight.”

Subsequently, in an interview on the ‘Sport24’ YouTube channel, Askerov’s coach, Eldar Eldarov made his thoughts known on the issues being faced by Chimaev. He stated, “They say that he has some kind of terrible disease, but considering how long Khamzat did not fight and how important this fight was for him, I think this is something serious. Because I think he would not miss the chance to fight such big deal if it was some minor problem.”

As fans update further news about Chimaev’s condition, his manager has also released a statement addressing the situation and indicated that the illness was troubling the fighter throughout his training camp!

Chimaev’s team releases a concerning statement

Khamzat Chimaev’s abrupt withdrawal from the UFC Saudi Arabia card has been the cause of much speculation in the MMA sphere. In a statement made by his manager Majdi Shammas, it was revealed that “The persistent illness that Khamzat has been battling for major parts of training camp could not be cured in time. He has been in and out of hospitals several times.”

Shammas also stated that “The condition has been kept within the team…” and also indicated that the team mutually agreed to pull out from the fight in light of the severity of the situation. However, he didn’t provide more information surrounding the details of the illness or the recovery period it’ll involve. He ended the update by stating, “Khamzat and team will now get to the bottom of the cause of the issues, and he will come back even stronger.”

As fans await updates on Chimaev’s recovery, the focus shifts to Ikram Aliskerov’s unexpected opportunity to showcase his talents against Robert Whittaker. Nevertheless, the MMA community remains hopeful for Chimaev’s swift recovery and eagerly anticipates his return to continue his journey in the middleweight division!

What are your thoughts on Khamzat Chimaev’s abrupt pull-out from the UFC Saudi Arabia event? And what do you expect his recovery timeline to look like? Share them with us in the comments below!