20 June 2024 , 21:18
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Khamzat Chimaev has released his first statement since pulling out of his UFC clash against Robert Whittaker.
Chimaev, 30, was set to compete in his first of the year against former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker at UFC Saudi Arabia on Saturday. Chimaev withdrew from the fight due to an illness and Whittaker will now face the Chechen's former opponent Ikram Aliskerov on the card.
“We always plan something but Allah has his own plans for us,” Chimaev wrote in a brief statement after pulling out of the fight. The specifics about Chimaev’s illness are currently unclear but his close friend Tam Khan dismissed rumours that his withdrawal from the bout was because of food poisoning.
"All these fake rumours about Khamzat pulling out due to food poisoning is absolutely bull****. I was part of the camp and behind the scenes. As a brother I won’t share his dark times but trust me when I say, he was very sick & hospitalised. The guy is a beast and to see him so bad wasn’t a good time for us all," Khan wrote.
"Praying for his recovery and comeback. Unfortunately God had other plans and nobody could’ve anticipated or foreseen this. The last weeks were tough and he tried every solution but last week got so bad that it was impossible to fight. InshaAllah he’ll be back, but for now, rest & recovery is needed."
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Health issues are nothing new for Chimaev, who claimed he was retiring from fighting in 2021 after suffering from long-term effects of Covid-19. UFC boss Dana White played down Chimaev's retirement claim and the Chechen did return later that year when he choked out Li Jingliang.
White voiced his concern about Chimaev's health issues on Monday and was unable to give an update about his return. "Every time he gets close to fighting, he gets really sick. I don’t know what to say. It’s not like he’s over here in this country and we’ve had doctors here look at him or anything like that. He’s sort of out of touch so it’s tough to deal with," White told Jim Rome.