Unsettling Reason Why Khamzat Chimaev Is Out of UFC Saudi Arabia: ’Borz’s Health Conditions Explained

All is not well for Khamzat Chimaev. After eight months away from the octagon, he was itching for a tough fight and his UFC Saudia Arabia fight against Robert Whittaker would give him just that. But just two weeks before UFC’s debut in Saudi, Chimaev was forced to withdraw. Illness struck again! The fighter has been battling various health issues ever since he contracted COVID-19 back in the day. And this has led to a lot of retirement speculations.

After ‘Borz’ backed out of the fight, Dana White rushed to get Ikram Aliskerov as the replacement. In a twisted tale of fate, Aliskerov has previously faced Chimaev, back when the Swede fought at Brave FC. Needless to say, UFC Saudi Arabia is going to pack a punch. However, the fans’ entropy would have been higher had Chimaev faced Whittaker. Let’s find out what issues Chimaev has been facing! Alexander Gustafsson, Chimaev’s training partner, talked about it.

“Something with his body that reacts…”: Gustafsson shares his take on Chimaev’s health woes

As the world of mixed martial arts began to raise voices against Chimaev for backing out of his fight against ‘The Reaper’, Gustafsson swooped in to defend the Chechen Wolf. He revealed that the fighter often got sick whenever he trained a bit too hard. Maybe he simply overexerted himself.

Gustafsson said via CryptoSportsBetting, as reported by The Mac Life, “The guy gets ill. There is something with his body that reacts to hard training, because he is the hardest worker in the room… He very easily catches a cold, for example – a runny nose, coughing, symptoms that are not a big deal at all, we all get that. But I’ve seen when he increases his training a lot, I know his body reacts differently to the training. I don’t know where it comes from. It’s crazy how he reacts to the training these days.”

This wasn’t the first time Gustafsson had dropped down to talk about Chimaev’s training. Being one of the Swede’s training partners, he is clearly an insider and does not hold back when disclosing unknown facts, especially those behind the scenes. But the one thing that Gustafsson has repeatedly talked about is Chimaev’s dedication to the sport. In an interview, a couple of years ago, ‘The Mauler’ had nothing but praise for the Swedish fighter.

“I met a lot of MMA athletes and fighters and all that, and he [Chimaev] stands out for sure, because of his dedication. Because of how he out-trains everybody. There’s nobody that trains like him, nobody. I haven’t seen it and I have been around the world seeing fighters train and having their camps and training for a fight. This guy just doesn’t get tired. He doesn’t feel any pain, just goes through it,” Gustafsson had disclosed to Brett Okamoto from ESPN.

Could Khamzat Chimaev’s health issues be an aftermath of his struggles with COVID-19? It is not known, and neither has the fighter hinted at it. However, because of the virus, he had almost retired. But miraculously, he made a comeback and looked as dominant as ever. Remember how he dominated Li Jingliang at UFC 267? People hope the wolf can make a similar return yet again. But might take some time.

With Chimaev violently ill, the UFC head honcho was left with no option but to set his return at a different time. But is the fighter who replaced Chimaev worthy of the chance? White certainly seems to think so.

Is Ikram Aliskerov worthy to take the fight against ‘The Reaper’?

When White announced Chimaev’s persistent illness, he also revealed the fighter who would replace him. Aliskerov has only fought a couple of fights in the UFC but hasn’t failed to conquer the Octagon. He has a 15-1 professional MMA record and is quite similar to Chimaev’s 13-0 record too.

However, the Dagestani faced a defeat at the hands of the Chechen Wolf in 2019 in Brave CF 23 – Pride & Honor. Despite a defeat via KO against Chimaev, White believed that he was the best possible replacement for ‘Borz’.

White shared, “So this dude is a legit contender in only his 3rd UFC fight, if he gets a knockout against Robert Whittaker, he’ll go into a tie for the longest active UFC knockout streak.” On top of that, Khabib Nurmagomedov has also praised Aliskerov for his performance. With a single MMA loss, the Dagestani is sure to display his fighting prowess and entertain the fight fans against Whittaker.

What do you think of Chimaev’s illness? Would you have liked it better had ‘Borz’ been the one to fight Whittaker at UFC Saudi Arabia? Drop down to the comments and let us know your valuable opinion.