The UFC’s debut in Saudi Arabia has faced a setback with the recent revelation of Khamzat Chimaev’s medical issues. Scheduled to take on former middleweight champion, Robert Whittaker on June 22 in Riyadh, ‘Borz’ has now been sidelined from the event. However, according to the update shared by UFC CEO Dana White, the promotion has already found a replacement for Chimaev!

This isn’t the first time Chimaev has faced a health scare and had to pull out from a fight, in 2020, he had to withdraw from his bout against Leon Edwards due to complications from COVID-19. As such, fans have been curious to know more about what happened to ‘Borz’ this time, and so, let’s explore all we know about the situation so far.

Why did Khamzat Chimaev pull out?  

In an update shared on X, UFC boss Dana White stated, “What’s up everybody so little news here, unfortunately, Khamzat Chimaev is out of the fight next weekend in Saudi Arabia. Violently, and I mean, violently ill. So, he’s going back home and hopefully, he gets well soon.”

According to a statement released by Chimaev’s manager, “The persistent illness that Khamzat has been battling for major parts of training camp could not be cured in time. He has been in and out of hospitals several times.” The statement by ‘Borz’s team didn’t reveal what exactly the illness was but they indicated that, “The condition has been kept within the team…”

Nevertheless, the UFC has pivoted to make a replacement for this bout. White, in his update, further went on to state, “The replacement, Ikram Aliskerov. Who is Ikram Aliskerov, this guy is 15-1, his only loss in a 16 fight pro career is to Khamzat Chimaev. 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.”

The UFC head honcho then hyped up Aliskerov’s skills by revealing that, “He’s got 7 first round finishes, 6 wins by knockout, 5 by submission, this guy has finished 11 of 15 wins, 73% finish rate, he’s on a 7 fight win streak.”

Aliskerov was originally scheduled to be featured on the UFC Vegas 93 card on June 15, but with Chimaev’s medical issues, Aliskerov has now found himself in what could be one of the most important fights in his UFC career.  However, it seems like Paulo Costa has found an interesting silver lining in this situation as he took to social media to make his thoughts known on Chimaev’s pull-out! 

‘The Eraser’ calls for “destined” match-up against Chimaev

Paulo Costa and Khamzat Chimaev were originally set to face one another at UFC 294 in 2023, however, Costa had to withdraw from the event due to complications with an infection in his arm that forced him to undergo surgery.

Now, with news of Chimaev being out of UFC’s Saudi Arabia event, Costa has taken to social media to campaign for another chance at the fight. ‘The Eraser’ posted on X, “I’ll tell you something. Chechen Khamzat is destined to be defeated by my hands. Maktub, It’s written, it’s already written ✍️. There’s nothing that can be done.”

It remains to be seen if the two will clash again once Chimaev has recovered from his illness, but with Costa stating in another post, “IF HE IS STILL FIGHTING, DANA AND HUNTER DO WHAT MATTERS MOST RESCHEDULE THIS FOR OCTOBER ABU DHABI ISLAND”, ‘Borz’ will already have an opponent waiting for him when he returns!

In conclusion, as the UFC navigates these changes, fans eagerly await the Saudi Arabia event, now featuring Whittaker versus Aliskerov, and with Paulo Costa eyeing a future bout with Khamzat Chimaev, the middleweight division continues to promise thrilling matchups, ensuring that the drama inside the Octagon remains as compelling as ever!

What are your thoughts on the changes to the UFC Saudia Arabia card? And what do you think about the possibility of Paulo Costa and Chimaev fighting once ‘Borz’ recovers? Share them with us in the comments below!