Khamzat Chimaev has released his first statement since being banned from UFC Saudi Arabia.
The middleweight main event was scheduled to take place this weekend on Saturday, June 22nd at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, featuring a battle between Robert Whittaker (26-7 MMA) and the unbeaten Khamzat Chimaev (13-0 MMA).
Chimaev had to withdraw from the bout due to an unknown illness that required hospitalization.
Ikram Aliskerov (15-1 MMA) stepped in to take “Borz's” place and will be taking on “The Reaper” this weekend.
The 31-year-old Aliskerov faced Warry Alves (14-8 MMA record) at UFC 294 in October of last year and won by TKO.
The 33-year-old Whittaker is coming off a win over Paulo Costa (14-4 MMA record) at UFC 298 in February of this year.
Khamzat Chimaev explained his withdrawal on Instagram:
“We are always planning something but Allah has His own plans for us! Alhamdulillah.”
The 30-year-old last fought and won against Kamaru Usman (20-4 MMA) at UFC 294 in October 2023.
Chimaev's manager, Majidi Shammas, suggested the player had been suffering from food poisoning and denied rumours of retirement, saying:
“That's simply not true. We're going to get to the bottom of this situation, this issue, and he'll be back.”
Khamzat Chimaev has struggled recently with battling COVID-19 and now intestinal issues, but his management says he is definitely set to return to the Octagon once he is healthy.
Will you be watching Whittaker vs. Aliskerov? Any predictions?
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