The UFC has suffered another setback as Khamzat Chimaev has been forced to withdraw from next week's Fight Night main event in Saudi Arabia due to illness. The announcement came on the same day that Conor McGregor's UFC 303 main event was cancelled.
UFC president Dana White confirmed that Chimaev is 'violently ill' and will not fight Robert Whittaker on 22 June. 'Unfortunately Khamzat Chimaev is out of the fight next weekend in Saudi Arabia. [He's] violently, and I mean violently, ill. So, he's going back home, and hopefully he gets well soon,' White said.
Chimaev, 30, was due to face former middleweight champion Whittaker in a bout that was expected to determine the next number one contender at 185lb. The Russian last fought in October, outpointing former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.
Chimaev's withdrawal is the latest in a series of disruptions for the UFC. McGregor's fight against Michael Chandler on 29 June was cancelled due to an injury to the Irishman, and the co-main event was also altered with Jamahal Hill replaced by Anthony Smith.
The UFC's event in Riyadh will be the promotion's first in Saudi Arabia. A replacement opponent for Whittaker has not yet been announced, but Russian fighter Ikram Aliskerov, who lost to Chimaev in 2019, has been suggested as a potential candidate.
