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Thursday was a day to forget for UFC. The afternoon began with the withdrawal of Khamzat Chimaev from the main event of the UFC FIGHT NIGHT in Saudi Arabia and closed with the rescheduling of Conor Michael Chandler and Jamahal Hill vs. Carlos Ulberg, which left UFC 303 without main event matches.
There was not much time to react, and the company has turned to Ikram Aliskerov to fill the space left by 'The Borz' and Alex Pereira vs Jiri Prochazka and Diego Lopes vs Brian Ortega to once again give general interest to the numbered event at the end of June, which also coincides with the International Fight Week.
But with all these situations going on around the business, Khamzat Chimaev has become a recurring figure. His constant problems due to his political ideology and his physical issues, apparently coming from the consequences of COVID-19, have meant that he has fought on the same occasions in the last 4 years as in his first 65 days as a UFC fighter.
Dana White's explanation on the matter
These occasions normally call for the main boss to speak out about it and that is what happened. The president of the UFC appeared through a video on social networks to explain the last-minute changes to the events. When announcing Aliskerov's entry into the Saudi Arabia star, Dana White confirmed that "Khamzat is seriously ill" and wished him a speedy recovery.
Minutes after this statement, Mukhammad Eskirkhanov, Chimaev's training partner, ed a photo to his Instagram, where 'Borz' appears lying in a hospital bed, and next to him Guram Kutelazde, who is accompanying his colleague in an image that has left UFC fans cold.
While a few weeks ago all the pressure in the world was on Khamzat and the fans were all over him, whether to him or say something against him, now the UFC world is together praying for his recovery.