Khamzat Chimaev has been pulled from the main event against Robert Whittaker because he has been 'violently ill.' He will be replaced by Ikram Aliskerov.
The undefeated fighter was set to headline the UFC's first event in Saudi Arabia on June 22 against former champion. However, UFC president Dana White announced Thursday that Chimaev has been pulled from the main event of UFC on ABC 6 because he has been"violently ill."The removal of Chimaev comes during a time when the promotion is dealing with a fair bit of turmoil in what was supposed to be a star-studded series of events.
The loss of Chimaev put yet another main event in turmoil, as the promotion scrambled to put the pieces back together on a little over a week's notice. However, the UFC didn't have to look far, as Aliskerov, who has only lost to Chimaev in his MMA career, answered the call. Aliskerov gets a massive bump in competition in his third UFC bout, going from facing an unranked middleweight to the former 185-pound champion.
As for Chimaev, his availability to compete has been an issue over the past couple of years after his meteoric rise following his 2020 debut. He has competed only once since submittingin October. Also in October, one of Chimaev's coaches revealed that visa difficulties because of his Chechen nationality and Russian passport have prevented"Borz" from competing in the United States, leaving the UFC to find international fight cards for the 30-year-old.
The Saudi Arabia card was thought to be the perfect event for Chimaev to make his return in what was likely a middleweight title eliminator against Whittaker. However, a photo from one of his sparring partners showed Chimaev in bed with an unknown illness. White emphasized that Chimaev was"violently ill" and wished him a return to good health.
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