Unsettling Reason Why Khamzat Chimaev Is Out of UFC Saudi Arabia: ’Borz’s Health Conditions Explained

The fight fans went into speculation mode when a sick Khamzat Chimaev had to pull out of his much-anticipated fight against Robert Whittaker, which was scheduled as the main event for UFC Saudia Arabia. The entire world of mixed martial arts was left wondering why the Chechen Wolf was always ill. Alexander Gustafsson, Chimaev’s training partner finally revealed the real reason behind it all. Since the initial fight for the main event at UFC’s debut in Riyadh fell out, Dana White rushed to get Ikram Aliskerov as the fighter to replace ‘Borz’.

Surprisingly, Aliskerov previously faced Chimaev, back when the Swede fought at Brave FC. Needless to say, UFC Saudi Arabia is going to pack a punch. However, the fans’ entropy would have been higher had Chimaev faced Whittaker. Let’s find out why exactly the fighter was forced to pull out.

Why did Khamzat Chimaev pull out of Robert Whittaker’s fight?

As the world of mixed martial arts began to raise voices against Chimaev for backing out of his fight against ‘The Reaper’, Gustafsson swooped in to defend the Chechen Wolf. He revealed that Chimaev often got sick whenever he trained a bit too hard. Maybe, he simply overexerted himself in training and his body gave up when the time for the fight peeked from the corner.

Gustafsson said via CryptoSportsBetting, “The guy gets ill. There is something with his body that reacts to hard training, because he is the hardest worker in the room… He very easily catches a cold, for example – a runny nose, coughing, symptoms that are not a big deal at all, we all get that. But I’ve seen when he increases his training a lot, I know his body reacts differently to the training. I don’t know where it comes from. It’s crazy how he reacts to the training these days.”

This wasn’t the first time Gustafsson dropped down to talk about Chimaev’s training. Being one of the Swede’s training partners, he can reveal things that are unknown to many. But the one thing that Gustafsson has repeatedly talked about is Chimaev’s dedication to the sport. In an interview, a couple of years ago, ‘The Mauler’ had nothing but praise for the Swedish fighter. He claimed that Chimaev didn’t get tired and didn’t feel any pain when he worked out at the camps. He just went through it all. But there are times when hard training breaks the fighter’s body.

With Chimaev violently ill, the UFC head honcho was left with no option but to return at a different time. But is the fighter who replaced Chimaev worthy of the chance? White certainly seems to think so.

Ikram Aliskerov’s worthiness to take the fight against ‘The Reaper’

When White announced Chimaev’s persistent illness, he also revealed the fighter who would replace him. Aliskerov has only fought a couple of fights in the UFC but hasn’t failed to conquer the Octagon and rise victorious all of the time. However, the Dagestani faced a defeat at the hands of the Chechen Wolf. Despite a defeat via KO against Chimaev, White believed that he was the best possible replacement for ‘Borz’.

White quoted, “So this dude is a legit contender in only his 3rd UFC fight, if he gets a knockout against Robert Whittaker, he’ll go into a tie for the longest active UFC knockout streak.” On top of that, Khabib Nurmagomedov has also praised Aliskerov for his performance. With 15 victories and a single loss, the Dagestani is sure to display his fighting prowess and entertain the fight fans against Whittaker.

What do you think of Chimaev’s illness? Would you have liked it better had ‘Borz’ been the one to fight Whittaker at UFC Saudi Arabia? Drop down to the comments and let us know your valuable opinion.