As UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi draws nearer, fans are speculating about the chances of Khamzat Chimaev pulling out of his scheduled fight against Robert Whittaker on October 27th. This concern isn’t baseless, as ‘Borz’ has earned a reputation as the ‘King of Pullouts‘ due to his history of withdrawing from major fights.

After securing the fastest three fight winning streak (66 days) in 2020 within 10 minutes of cage time, Chimaev wasn’t too far from becoming UFC royalty. However, before his UFC Fight Night bout against Leon Edwards, slated for December 9, 2020, the 30-year-old had tested positive for COVID-19. Amid a pullout, the fight was scheduled for January 20, 2021, but for not long Dana White announced the Russian fighter had pulled out of the fight yet again.

Chimaev withdrew for a third time ahead of the UFC Fight Night 187, scheduled for March 13, 2021, as he was reported to be suffering from the long-term effects of COVID-19. X-ray and MRI reports showed Chimaev’s lungs were badly affected “like he had pneumonia or asthma”. The fighter even announced his retirement on March 1. “It may upset you, but my heart and body tell me everything. The main thing is I do not know what this disease is but it is not easily outlived (translated from Russian),” he wrote on Instagram, for Dana White to disagree and state Chimaev was just “emotional”. 

In a change of pattern, currently ‘Borz’ is reportedly focused on leaving the past behind and fully preparing for his upcoming challenge against Whittaker in the UFC 308 on October 26—a fight he’s already pulled out once. But more on that later as…

Robert Whittaker has shared some crucial information during an interview on the MMArcade podcast. The 33-year-old, ready to reclaim on the middleweight title, stated, “It’s going to be a contender fight, five-round main event.” Further talking about the upcoming challenge’s difficulty, Whittaker said, “I do understand the task at hand. It’s going to be hard. I’m going to be grinding my a** off this camp. I’m looking forward to it. It’s a good thing, after last fight I didn’t have any injuries.” Well, he will definitely need that scintillating form as Chimaev is all rested and ready!

Khamzat’s last fight was almost a year ago during the UFC 294 (October 21,2023), against Kamaru Usman, where Borz nearly won in the first round itself. As soon as the fight started, Chimaev started landing punches on Usman before looking for a submission. However, the Nigerian-American fighter fought back after Chimaev failed to get stoppage. However, the third round sealed a victory in the Russian’s favor as a late takedown converted into a 29-27, 29-27 and 28-28 scoreline from judges.

Whittaker, on the other hand, is fresh off of a June 2024 fight against Ikram Aliskerov. Securing a first-round knockout win, Whittaker put an end to Aliskerov’s seven-fight winning streak. Aliskerov made the first moves, two high kicks that barely scrapped his opponent. Some uneventful contacts later, the Australian landed a punch on Aliskerov’s face, knocking him back, but still standing. Moments later, a sharp right by Whittaker put his Russian opponent on rubber legs. And that was the opening The Reaper needed as he chased Aliskerov down, ending his night with an uppercut.

As for the upcoming UFC 308 bout, The Reaper stands ready, ”Chimaev is a hard fight. He is obviously a big draw, especially over there in Abu Dhabi. I think story-wise, the UFC wants to see Chimaev get a shot at champion. But I love disrupting their plans, I love derailing their stories. That’s why I took the fight,” he said on the same podcast.

Having said that, even with this big surprise from the UFC and Dana White, fans didn’t seem overly thrilled, as their minds were absorbed by the possibility of Khamzat Chimaev falling ill or pulling out of the fight again, a habit that seems to be forming. This sentiment was also echoed in the comments section of Freak.MMA’s post, didn’t reflect much joy towards ‘Borz’ if he took a look.

Fans are skeptical about Khamzat Chimaev’s chances at UFC 308

A fan in the comments targeted Khamzat Chimaev’s cardio habits, commenting, “What’s khamzat gonna do in the other 4 rounds when he dumps all his cardio tryna get a finish In the first?” This concern is not baseless, as Chimaev’s former training partner and friend Caio Borralho also confirmed Khamzat’s unusual training style.

“Oh dude, for sure the hardest guy to train is Khamzat. He’s a very hard guy to train. His style, his wrestling background — he’s very good at wrestling. He goes hard all the rounds. I think he’s one of the hardest training to do,” Borralho said MMA Mania.

The sentiment was also echoed by another fan, who seemed certain the fight wouldn’t happen, commenting, “Fight will not happen. Chimaev will be out the day before the fight.” 

For the unversed, Chimaev was originally supposed to headline a Whittaker fight at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on June 22 this year. However, White confirmed the 30-year-old’s withdrawal saying he was “violently ill”. Chimaev’s teammate Guram Kutateladze had also confirmed the news by sharing a photo of a hospital room, tagging the Russian fighter, whose faced by obscured.

There are some fans already convinced that the Russian Native won’t win the five-round showdown against Robert Whittaker. One fan raised this concern, commenting, “Rob win over 5 khamzat will gas,” while another fan who had previously expressed concern about ‘Borz’ illness, added, “khamzat’s dying.” 

Additionally, a fan analyzed the situation and offered their opinion:” This favours Rob massively.” This view isn’t merit, as renowned health analyst Sven Koch had previously warned about the risk of over-training, explaining the delicate balance between over-training and over-reaching. On the other hand, one of ‘Borz’ fans is not shifting support, favoring Robert Whittaker to win at UFC 308. This change in sentiment is evident in a comment that reads, “I’m a khamzat fan but I think Robert will beat him up. Tough is an understatement for Aussies.”

What are your thoughts on the upcoming UFC 308 co-main event between Khamzat Chimaev and Robert Whittaker? Do you also think Whittaker will dominate ‘Dying’ Chimaev in the octagon when they finally meet on October 26? Drop your opinion below.