Khamzat Chimaev has had a remarkable fall from grace. ‘Borz’ went from being the most hyped fighter in the history of the UFC to being called a ‘pullout merchant’ by fans owing to his tendency to drop out of bouts before the events. Many in the MMA community believe that the ‘Chechen wolf’ just isn’t serious about fighting anymore. Well, this is the same guy who fought thrice in three months back in 2020, so hungry was he to make a mark for himself.

But over the past year, he has turned down a title shot and pulled out of a scheduled clash with Robert Whittaker in June earlier this year. While Dana White and ‘Borz’s team have maintained that he was ‘violently’ ill, fans felt the Chechnya native’s success had gone to his head and he was no longer the Chimaev fans fell in love with. There were even rumors that Chimaev pulled out of the Saudi card because he was partying too hard.

But that doesn’t seem to be the case and ‘Borz’ indeed was ‘violently ill’, according to Sean Strickland’s Xtreme Couture head coach Eric Nicksick, whose gym the UAE-based fighter used to train at. Speaking to TNT Sports at the sidelines of the UFC 308 weigh-ins, Nicksick revealed he had witnessed first-hand just how serious Chimaev’s health issues had been.

“I think it’s [the talent] right there and a lot of it had to do with the health. You know I was there when he had that long Covid and he was coughing up blood in my gym. You know it was a serious health risk during that time,” Nicksick said.

Chimaev, of course, is set to face Robert Whittaker in the UFC 308 co-main event. And with ‘Borz’ successfully making weight, it seems all systems are going his way for his first fight in nearly a year. And the stakes couldn’t be any higher!

Khamzat Chimaev- Robert Whittaker UFC 308 clash a virtual #1 title contender bout

Khamzat Chimaev was set to fight for the title after defeating Kamaru Usman at UFC 294 last year where ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ jumped up to middleweight. However, an injury forced Chimaev to turn down a UFC 297 title clash against then-champion Sean Strickland, in January.

But ‘Borz’s loss was Dricus Du Plessis‘ gain as the South African stepped in and took the title off Strickland. But because of the razor-thin nature of their clash, there have been calls for a rematch. That rematch is finally nigh as Dana White has confirmed Strickland is next in line for Du Plessis, although when exactly remains unknown.

And Whittaker-Chimaev will most probably determine who fights the winner of Du Plessis-Strickland 2, which is why the UFC 308 co-main event is so high stakes for both its participants. ‘The Reaper’ has been on a quest to regain his title ever since dropping it to Israel Adesanya four years ago.

And he will take on Chimaev, who feels he was unfairly denied a title shot because of injury despite being promised one straightaway by Dana White and co. And with both men coming into the fight with chips on their shoulders, fans are expecting fireworks. What are your predictions for UFC 308?