'Devastated' Khamzat Chimaev pulls out of inaugural UFC Saudi Arabia event due to illness

Khamzat Chimaev’s team have described his withdrawal from next week’s inaugural UFC Saudi Arabia event as a “devastating turn of events” after he was forced out of his headline bout with Robert Whittaker with “persistent illness”.

Chimaev, 13-0 in professional MMA, was initially slated to face the former middleweight champion at the top of the bill on the June 22 card in Riyadh – the UFC’s debut show in the kingdom.

However, Chimaev’s withdrawal was confirmed early on Friday by UFC CEO Dana White, with highly touted middleweight prospect Ikram Aliskerov stepping in on short notice to take on Whittaker.

In an Instagram post following the announcement, Chimaev’s manager Majdi Shammas said the No 10 ranked contender, who resides and trains in Dubai, had been to hospital “several times” in a bid to make next week’s event.

“It’s with great disappointment announced that Khamzat Chimaev has been forced to withdraw from his scheduled fight against Robert Whittaker on June 22nd in Riyadh,” Shammas posted. “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 condition has been kept within the team, since everyone has been absolutely committed to finding a solution. Although all available options have been thoroughly considered, it has now come to a point where the team has mutually agreed that it is not possible to carry on like this. Stepping into the cage not properly prepared against such a formidable opponent as Robert is unfortunately impossible.

“This is a devastating turn of events for Khamzat, his coaches, training partners and other members of the team. Headlining UFC’s first ever visit to Saudi Arabia was a great honour and something that was very much looked forward to.”

Detailing that the cause of Chimaev’s withdrawal was “far beyond anyone’s control”, Shammas extended a “sincere apology” to the UFC’s principal figures, chairman of Saudi Arabia's general entertainment authority Turki Alalshikh, Whittaker and team, and fans of the sport.

Shammas added: “But everything happens for a reason and God has his own plans. The goals remain the same. Khamzat and team will now get to the bottom of the cause of the issues, and he will come back even stronger. This is unfortunately a part of the fight game and, as soon as Khamzat is healthy, his much-anticipated return to the octagon will be immediately rescheduled.”

Chimaev, 30, last fought at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi in October, where he defeated former long-standing welterweight champion Kamaru Usman – himself a late stand-in – by decision at Etihad Arena.

The news of the Chechen-born athlete’s withdrawal is a major blow to Saudi’s debut UFC show, which takes place at Kingdom Arena in the capital, since he is already one of the most high-profile fighters in the sport.

Speaking to The National in Dubai last Friday, head coach Andreas Michael said Chimaev was looking to “putting on a show” to mark Saudi’s inaugural UFC event. Chimaev relocated last year from Sweden to Dubai.

“Khamzat has moved to the Middle East now and people really are appreciating him," Michael said. "It's difficult to love a place where you're not appreciated, and you are hunted for your success and punished for your success.

“So Khamzat is loved here, is treated as one of their own in their UAE. Lovely people, lovely place, lovely country. With all respect, we've been treated as guests and been treated so well. I haven't got enough good words to say: Abu Dhabi, Dubai and all the UAE there, it's a magnificent place. I can say that that has helped us a lot."

Michael added: “The improvements [in Chimaev] from October to now is that we’ve slowed everything down, dissected and done a lot of back-to-basics training, and just gotten him to the best shape that is possible in the time that I've had.

“We've had a lot of small details that we've been fine tuning, so then you're going to see a little bit of a difference in this one. That's enough said there. Wait and see guys.”

Whittaker, whose pro record stands at 25-7, will now take on a fast-rising Aliskerov, who is 2-0 since joining the UFC but 15-1 overall as a pro.

Meanwhile, the UFC has also confirmed that Conor McGregor’s hugely anticipated return later this month has been postponed after the former two-division champion sustained an injury.

McGregor, who hasn’t fought since breaking his leg during his trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier in July 2021, was to headline UFC 303 against Michael Chandler during International Fight Week in Las Vegas on June 29.

Instead, Alex Pereira will defend his light-heavyweight crown in a rematch against former champion Jiri Prochazka.