30-year-old Khamzat Chimaev is out from the UFC Fight Night (Saudi Arabia) event. UFC CEO Dana White was the first to give away the news. According to the UFC head, Chimaev was ‘violently’ ill and needed hospitalization, which forced him out of action. Reports suggest that the unbeaten middleweight faced some kind of food poisoning, leading up to the clash.

But is that true? One of his close friends, Tam Khan, took to his X account to share the exact details of his condition. Let us find out what he had to say.

Khamzat Chimaev not suffering from food poisoning reveals close friend

Tam Khan made a post on his official X account which read, “All these fake rumours about @KChimaev pulling out due to food poisoning is absolutely bullshit. I was part of the camp & behind the scenes. As a brother I won’t share his dark times but trust me when I say, he was very sick & hospitalised. The guys a beast & to see him so bad wasn’t a good time for us all. Praying for his recovery & comeback. Unfortunately God had other plans & nobody could’ve anticipated or foreseen this. The last weeks were tough & he tried every solution but last week got so bad that it was impossible to fight. InshaAllah he’ll be back, but for now, rest & recovery is needed.” 

Chimaev has been struggling with health concerns for quite some time now. He last competed in October 2023 but struggled to get back to the Octagon since then. Before his absence from the Octagon, the 30-year-old was very close to getting a title shot. He was even considered by many as the best in the division. ‘Borz’ now needs to get back to full fitness before returning to the Octagon.

His recent withdrawal has now raised questions regarding his retirement from the sport. However, the unbeaten middleweight fighter is confident about his return to the Octagon. Amidst all claims surrounding his retirement, Khamzat Chimaev took to his Instagram account to share a message for the fans.

‘Borz’ shares an inspirational message for the fans amidst rumors

When the UFC Saudi Arabia’s main event got scrapped, most of the fans were very surprised. However, Majdi Shammas made it clear that Khamzat Chimaev had been struggling with illness since the beginning of his preparation. Facing an opponent like Robert Whittaker requires utmost preparation and hundred percent fitness, and the team decided to call off the fight. However, it seems that ‘Borz’ is recovering well and is confident of making a comeback soon.

Despite being a specimen inside the Octagon, Chimaev’s recent run in the UFC has seen many setbacks. In such testing times, the Chechen fighter took to his Instagram to share a message for the fans. Chimaev could be seen sitting on a bike as he thanked God for his plans. The caption read, “We always plan something but Allah has his own plans for us! Alhamdulilah.”

Although the exact condition of Chimaev is not known, looking at him doesn’t feel like he’s retiring soon. Even his manager Majid Shammas, while speaking to the Russian media outlet, TASS made it clear that ‘Borz’ is nowhere close to retiring. Chimaev is one of the UFC’s most talented fighters in the division. However, as fans, we can only hope that he recovers in time and returns to the Octagon soon. And as far as retirement is concerned, it seems the 30-year-old is still hungry for more.

How high do you rate Khamzat Chimaev as a fighter? Do you think that he should retire from the UFC? Let us know in the comments below.