'Devastated' Khamzat Chimaev pulls out of inaugural UFC Saudi Arabia event due to illness

Khamzat Chimaev’s team have described his withdrawal from next week’s inaugural UFC Saudi Arabia event as a “devastating turn of events” after he was forced out of his headline bout with Robert Whittaker with “persistent illness”.

Chimaev, 13-0 in professional MMA, was initially slated to face the former middleweight champion at the top of the bill on the June 22 card in Riyadh – the UFC’s debut show in the kingdom.

However, Chimaev’s withdrawal was confirmed early on Friday by UFC CEO Dana White, with highly touted middleweight prospect Ikram Aliskerov stepping in on short notice to take on Whittaker.

.@robwhittakermma vs Aliskerov LIVE and FREE on @ABCNetwork Saturday June 22nd @Turki_alalshikh #UFCSaudiArabia @RiyadhSeason #RiyadhSeason pic.twitter.com/ERPDi5XEqT

In an Instagram post following the announcement, Chimaev’s manager Majdi Shammas said the No 10 ranked contender, who resides and trains in Dubai, had been to hospital “several times” in a bid to make next week’s event.

“It’s with great disappointment announced that Khamzat Chimaev has been forced to withdraw from his scheduled fight against Robert Whittaker on June 22nd in Riyadh,” Shammas posted. “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