Dana White has confirmed a UFC superstar is 'violently ill' in an extremely worrying update.
The UFC were struck with not one but two huge injury blows as two of the promotion's cards in June took a massive hit.
Conor McGregor was forced to withdraw from his UFC 303 showdown against Michael Chandler as White revealed the new headliner for the Las Vegas event.
And he also had to change the UFC's main-event for their very first show in Saudi Arabia next weekend due to a concerning update. Check it out below:
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Robert Whittaker was scheduled to meet Khamzat Chimaev on June 22.
However, Chimaev pulled out of his UFC headliner through a serious illness.
White revealed that the 30-year-old is 'violently ill' as he drafted in Ikram Aliskerov to face Whittaker at UFC Saudi Arabia.
Chimaev’s manager Majdi Shammas penned a lengthy statement on social media detailing the fighter's withdrawal.
"It’s with great disappointment announced that Khamzat Chimaev has been forced to withdraw from his scheduled fight against No. 3 ranked Robert Whittaker on June 22nd in Riyadh," Shammas wrote.
"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 honor and something that was very much looked forward to.
"Although the cause is far beyond anyone’s control, a sincere apology is extended to the UFC, Dana White, Mick Maynard, Sean Shelby, Hunter Campbell, His Highness Mr. Turki Alalshikh, Robert Whittaker and his team, and most importantly to the fans who were looking forward to the bout.
"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. #healthalwaysfirst."
Chimaev, unbeaten in seven UFC fights, hasn't fought inside the famed Octagon since October 2023 when he outpointed Kamaru Usman.
He faces another long spell on the sidelines as MMA fans will have to wait before seeing 'Borz' back in action.
Topics: Khamzat Chimaev, Dana White, UFC
Nasir Jabbar