“Violently Ill” Khamzat Chimaev Received Damning Verdict From Dana White Months Before UFC 308

Khamzat Chimaev pulling out of his previous fight against Robert Whittaker had the entire world worried. It was indeed one of the most anticipated matchups that the world of mixed martial arts had been waiting for with nothing but eagerness. On top of that, this fight would have marked the final bout of UFC’s debut event in Riyadh. But it was the Chechen fighter’s health that jeopardized the bout. 

Dana White was pretty disappointed at the cancelation of the main event fight just 2 days before the scheduled date. Taking to social media, the UFC head honcho released a video that showcased his disappointment. He said, “ saw video footage of him on the ground violently ill and he was hospitalized again, so… I saw this kid on Fight Island. He wanted to fight next weekend,  I let him fight the next weekend. He looked incredible. You know, lately, it’s been hard to get him into the Octagon. Everytime he gets close to fighting, he gets really sick. It’s tough to deal with.”

Now, just 4 days before Chimaev’s return to the UFC to fight against Whittaker at UFC 308, the video surfaced back on the internet. Of course, the video engulfed the MMA realm with nothing but worries about Chimaev’s health. But this has made the fans wonder if the Chechen Wolf’s poor health would leave UFC 308 hanging in uncertainty.

After all, this wasn’t the first time Chimaev had his fight canceled. His fight with Leon Edwards was canceled in 2020 due to COVID, and later on, he had to pull out of a rematch in 2021 owing to COVID-related problems. The repercussions of the infection continued to hinder the Swedish fighter’s bouts and canceled the fight against Nate Diaz scheduled for UFC 279. But what about UFC 308? 

Well, ‘Borz’ has now found a way to prevent that. During an interview on Hustle Vlog, Khamzat Chimaev said, “I used to go to the gym and just train until I was done. But, then I ended up in the hospital like the last time when I was in hospital three times in a row within three weeks. My immune system went down, I got sick. Now, I use a better approach…”

But what are the changes that he has brought into his regime to avoid further pullouts? Let’s find out!

Khamzat Chimaev takes steps to avoid getting sick ahead of his fights

After the UFC Riyadh mess-up, one of Chimaev’s teammates, Caio Borralho, stepped forward and revealed that the Chechen fighter fell sick because of over-training. Training so hard that he couldn’t even appear for the fight seemed the Russian’s fatal flaw. But he has set his goals straight now. Talking to Adam Zubayrev, ‘Borz’ revealed, “The point is they now let me rest and recover properly. I used to go to the gym and train till I was done. But then I ended up in hospital. Like the last time when I was in hospital, three times in a row within three weeks. My immune system went down, I got sick.”

On top of that, Chimaev went back to his old coach, Salim Noutsalhanov. Yes! He’s the same guy who trained Buvaisar Saitiev for the Beijing Olympics. With the newfound confidence, coach, and regime, he said, “With people like that, I’m going to take a big step forward.” It does seem like Chimaev is doing everything he can to prevent yet another mess-up with his health. After all, he simply can’t afford to pull out of one more match. With that in mind, Robert Whittaker has also aimed at becoming the first fighter to defeat the Russian mixed martial artist in the cage. 

What are your thoughts on White’s words about Chimaev’s sickness? Let us know if you think Chimaev will continue to stay an undefeated fighter in the comments down below.