Khamzat Chimaev has been under some heat due to his inactivity over the past few years.
After emerging as one of the hottest fighters in Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2020, Chimaev’s rise has slowed somewhat. He fought just once in 2023 and will make his first appearance this year when he faces Robert Whittaker in the co-headliner of UFC 308 on Saturday at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
‘Boltz’ was scheduled to face Whittaker at UFC in Saudi Arabia on June 22, but the Chechen-born Swede fell into a “serious illness” a little more than a week before the fight and had to withdraw from the event. I was forced to. According to Chimaev, his departure was due to circumstances beyond his control.
“We were in training camp. The first month was very good,” Chimaev said on the UFC Countdown show. “For the past three weeks, my immune system has been down. I don’t know what happened. We all eat the same thing. [but] only [I] I got sick.
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“I was in the hospital for a few days. I came out and started training again, and the same thing happened again. The doctor told me, ‘Don’t just train, don’t do anything, get out of the gym. I need to leave.” I went back to the mountain. ”
Chimaev recently revealed that he has changed his training approach to focus on rest and recovery during camp, and is hopeful that his immune system health will improve as fight night approaches.
Chimaev, 30, has a 13-0 record since beginning his professional career in 2018. He is 7-0 in UFC competition, including a majority decision victory over former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman in his debut at 185 pounds at UFC 294. In October 2023.
