Khamzat Chimaev had pulled out of his main event showdown with Robert Whittaker at UFC Saudi Arabia. People close to the ‘Chechen’ have come out with statements regarding his current condition. One of his close friends blamed food poisoning for the cancellation.
Abdul-Aziz Abdulvakhabov is a pro-MMA fighter and a close friend of Khamzat Chimaev. He recently talked about Chimaev’s situation on the Russian YouTube channel Ushatayka. Red Corner MMA translated his statement and came out with the story on social media.
Khamzat had food poisoning. I’ve been told by my close friends. It happens, we can all get sick or injured. Food poisoning is always dangerous, accepting a fight with food poisoning… He knew his state, [knew] that he wouldn’t be able to fight. That’s why he called it off.
Abdul-Aziz Abdulvakhabov on Ushatayka
Abdulvakhabov emphasized that he had not spoken to Chimaev personally about the situation. Rather he had been informed about the situation by mutual friends. Chimaev’s manager Majdi Shammas had also made his own statement revealing Chimaev’s severe condition. This had led many fans to believe the ‘Chechen’ would likely retire from fighting.
“Food poisoning is always dangerous, accepting a fight with food poisoning… He knew his state, [knew] that he wouldn’t be able to fight.
That’s why he called if off,”
Abdulvakhabov stressed that he hadn’t spoken to Khamzat personally about the situation, and that he had been… pic.twitter.com/3oUaO7j0Nt— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) June 17, 2024
The undefeated UFC fighter had previously had a bad case of Covid 19 back in 2021. ‘Borz’ had reportedly considered retiring from fighting during this time. However, his manager came out with a statement in a recent interview denying all rumors of a potential Khamzat Chimaev withdrawal from the UFC. It will be interesting to see if Chimaev’s canceled bout with ‘The Reaper’ is rescheduled later down the line.
Robert Whittaker is open to rescheduling the fight with Khamzat Chimaev
Robert Whittaker has been in the sport for years. Chimaev’s pullout has left him with a canceled bout and a last-minute replacement with an unfamiliar opponent. Regardless he has come out with a supportive stance for the ill ‘Chechen’.
Khamzat Chimaev out, Ikram Aliskerov set to take on Robert Whittaker (Source: IMAGO)Whittaker recently did an interview with MMA Junkie. In that interview, the former champion talked about Chimaev and a potential fight later down the line.
There’s no sour taste. Honestly, I feel for him and I wish him a speedy recovery and I wish him all the best.
Robert Whittaker on MMA Junkie
‘The Reaper’ also talked about the changeover and how the UFC put on a quick replacement for Chimaev. He said that within a few hours of getting debriefed about the ongoing situation, his team and the UFC had worked something out and a new opponent was up to the plate. Whittaker will now headline the main event this June against rising contender Ikram Aliskerov at UFC on ABC 6.
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