Khamzat Chimaev was forced to withdraw from his scheduled UFC fight against Robert Whittaker in Saudi Arabia due to a severe illness, leading to Ikram Aliskerov stepping in as the new headliner.
Khamzat Chimaev was scheduled to headline the UFC’s first event in Saudi Arabia, aiming for a middleweight title shot. Unfortunately, those plans changed this past week.
Chimaev was set to make his 2024 debut in a massive fight against former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker. However, an illness forced him out of the bout. Now, he’ll have to watch his former opponent Ikram Aliskerov face Whittaker in the new headliner.
The undefeated Chimaev shared his first comments following the withdrawal on Instagram. “We always plan something but Allah has his own plans for us,” he wrote.
As of now, there are no details about Chimaev’s illness or when he might return to the octagon. UFC CEO Dana White announced that Chimaev fell “violently ill” during the final preparations for Whittaker.
Speaking on The Jim Rome Show on Monday, White acknowledged the mystery surrounding Chimaev’s recent years. “I saw this kid on Fight Island; he wanted to fight the next weekend,” White said. “I let him fight the next weekend. He looked incredible.”
“He’s been on this tear, and lately it’s been hard to get him into the octagon,” White continued. “Every time he gets close to fighting, he gets really sick.”
“I don’t know how long he’s going to be out,” White admitted. “It’s not like he’s over here in this country and we’ve had doctors here look at him or anything like that. He’s sort of out of touch so it’s tough to deal with.”
“Borz” returned to action after a 13-month layoff when he faced former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman at UFC 294 this past October. After an incredible first round where he mauled his opponent, things got dicey over the next two rounds as Usman battled back.
In the end, Chimaev earned a majority decision to improve his record to 13-0.