RIYADH: Khamzat Chimaev is out of the first ever Ultimate Fighting Championship event in Saudi Arabia due to illness, according to the head of the championship.
Chimaev was due to fight Robert Whittaker on June 22 in the middleweight division, but Dana White, CEO and President of the UFC, said the Russian has been “violently ill,” prompting a change to the main event.
Chimaev’s team has not commented on the nature of the illness afflicting the undefeated fighter, with White only saying he had returned home to recover.
Ikram Aliskerov, who is on a seven-game winning streak, will step in to face Whittaker in Riyadh. Aliskerov’s only loss in his 16 bouts came against Chimaev.
“This dude is a legit contender in only his third UFC fight,” said White about Aliskerov, as he announced the change.
“If he gets a knockout against Robert Whittaker, he’ll go into a tie for the longest active UFC knockout streak.”
Aliskerov, who was pulled from Saturday’s UFC event in Las Vegas, said: “Next fight is dream come true and we are ready for any challenges.”
Talking up the courage of Whittaker, White said: “We offered everybody in the division this fight, nobody would take it except Whittaker.”
Turki Alalshikh, the head of the Saudi General Entertainment Authority and the man behind bringing the UFC to the Kingdom, confirmed the change to the main card and wished Chimaev a speedy recovery.
