“He’s a Liability Now” – Disappointed Dana White’s Final Call on Khamzat Chimaev Set to End Once Guaranteed Title Shot, Insider Claims

It’s been a few bad years for the undefeated star Khamzat Chimaev as he’s struggled to maintain fitness for many of his scrapped UFC fights. As we all know, he most recently pulled out of the fight against Robert Whittaker because of an illness. Since 2021, everything seems to be going on a downward spiral for Khamzat Chimaev. As per the latest reports, the reason why ‘Borz’ couldn’t make it to Saudi Arabia is simply because he had food poisoning. After rumors surfaced that he was going to retire, the 30-year-old came out to claim that he’s still in the game.

This situation has led former UFC heavyweight fighter to believe that Dana White might be losing confidence in Chimaev. As per the industry insider, things may not turn out too well for Chimaev when he returns.

Dana White might tag Khamzat Chimaev as “unreliable”

While chatting with co-host Bryan Callen on ‘The Fighter and The Kid’, Brendan Schaub brought up the Khamzat Chimaev issue. Like many others, he claims to be unaware of the behind-the-scenes situation with the Emirati star’s health issues. However, he believes that things may not remain the same and Dana White & Co. could be coming off his hype train when he makes his return to the Octagon.

“Khamzat falling out. I don’t know what’s gonna happen with him. Because the UFC is going to be like, ‘All right, he’s a liability now’. He keeps falling out. Saudi Arabia was a massive card,” Brendan Schaun stated. The former UFC fighter also shed light on Chimaev’s recent health struggles, including his COVID issues back in 2021, which he believes could make Dana White stop betting on him, unlike Alex Pereira, who’s stepped up whenever the UFC asked him to.

“We don’t know exactly what’s going on. He had that super long COVID thing he was talking about… But [in] the UFC, once you’re unreliable… So if you’re missing weight and then you’re not showing up to fights, eventually the UFC goes, ‘Alright, no no. Put em’ on the back burner,'” added the 41-year-old.

Schaub also mentioned how a title shot was looming around the corner for Khamzat Chimaev and a win against a former champion, a chance he missed at the Saudi event, would have propelled him towards that position, but now, he might have to start all over again. “This [the Whittaker fight] was it. He would have got a title shot if he won. Now, back to the queue… the UFC train keeps moving,” revealed the former fighter.

It is important to note that these are just assumptions, but the former UFC fighter does have a point because recently Dana White expressed his frustration with Chimaev’s situation during an interview.

The UFC CEO is finding it hard to manage Chimaev’s illnesses

Yes, Dana White is having a hard time dealing with the issues of Khamzat Chimaev. But the most alarming issue is that the 54-year-old, just like others, also doesn’t have a clue as to what’s wrong with ‘Borz’ and whenever a fight’s on the horizon, White mentioned having witnessed Chimaev getting ill or being in a state of illness. “The problem is that we really don’t know [what’s going on]. Every time this guy gets close to a fight – I saw video footage of him violently ill on the ground, and he was hospitalized again,” Dana White stated on the Jim Rome Show.

Understandably, Dana White was at a loss for words regarding Khamzat Chimaev’s health crisis. Moreover, the fact that he was not in the States for the UFC to figure out the issue is also something that the CEO wasn’t happy about. “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,” the 54-year-old added.

Although Dana White has hinted at being irritated with Khamzat Chimaev, he hasn’t said anything that indicates that ‘Borz’s position in the division is getting scrutinized. However, the Emirati star did fall out of the top 10 rankings, following his pullout as we wait to see how things pan out for him when he returns.

Though Chimaev has denied the retirement rumors, do you think the constant health concerns can push the fighter into a back seat in the UFC? Drop your views in the comments below.