Welcome to Midnight Mania!
No one outside of those closest to Khamzat Chimaev knows exactly what's going on with him. Just a few days ago, the top-ranked middleweight was forced to withdraw at the last minute from a planned main event (and likely title shot) bout against Robert Whittaker at UFC Saudi Arabia. Ikram Aliskerov eventually took his place, and photos of “Borz” in the hospital quickly went viral.
What's especially unfortunate is that this isn't Chimaev's first health issue: The Chechen wrestling ace contracted COVID-19 in 2020 and became so ill that he considered retirement. In the four years since, Chimaev has fought just four times, with several bouts and multiple scheduled main events canceled.
Initially, food poisoning was blamed for Chimaev's withdrawal from UFC Saudi Arabia. Top middleweight contender Bo Nikkal claimed it was due to too much partying, but this rumor has been completely denied. In any case, Tam Khan, a member of Khamzat Chimaev's training camp, has released a statement claiming that this is a more serious health issue than food poisoning.
“These false rumors [Khamzat Chimaev] “It's completely stupid that he would withdraw due to food poisoning,” Khan wrote to X. “I was at the camp and worked behind the scenes. As a brother I won't speak about his dark times but believe me when I say he was seriously ill and in the hospital. He was a horrible man and it was not a good time for all of us to see him in such a bad state.”
“We are praying for his recovery and return. Unfortunately, God has a different plan and no one could have anticipated or foreseen this. The last few weeks have been tough and he has tried every solution but last week it got so bad that he was unable to play. With God's grace he will return but now he needs to rest and recover.”
Chimaev was last seen in the Octagon against last-minute replacement Kamaru Usman, with “Bolz” staying undefeated via narrow decision. He should be closing in on a much-talked-about title fight from 2022, but all these postponements and health issues have significantly slowed the 30-year-old's development.
It is not yet known when he will return.
insomnia
Ian Garry doesn't think there's anything particularly special about Michael Page.
The never-ending weight loss could seriously affect Ikram Aliskerov’s performance if he isn’t careful. There’s a reason why the massive weight loss is done specifically to coincide with weigh-in day.
Tim Sylvia is 48 years old and is competing in a slap fight. It's going to be a good one.
former #UFC Champion Tim Sylvia won another slap match over the weekend, after his opponent, who according to the broadcast “spends most of his time in the woods”, somehow missed both slaps and was laughed at by a woman in the front row. pic.twitter.com/ixfFwEMnDQ
— Richard Mann (@RichardAMann) June 18, 2024
If Chael Sonnen said it, it must be true!
The science behind Mike Davis' injury and Drew Dober's classy response to it.
Robert Whittaker is probably the biggest video game nerd on the planet.
Slip, Lip, KO Clip
A powerful punch to the pocket:
This is a very quick transition down the back and neck.
As I said before, you can never have too many power kicks to the open side.
Random Land
A little trippy graphic trick.
Midnight Music: Soul, 1969
Sleep tight, enthusiasts! The martial arts madness is about to continue.
