UFC on ABC 6 was supposed to be headlined by Russian-born Khamzat Chimaev, but further health problems prevented the undefeated fighter from having his career-defining fight. This time Wolf even had to be hospitalized in serious condition.

“In a healthy body healthy mind”

Chimaev has 13 professional fights under the rules of mixed martial arts. The Russian native spent seven of them in the strongest promotion on the planet. But Wolf never managed to reach the UFC title.

The athlete could get closer to the championship fight with a successful performance at a tournament in Saudi Arabia, where he was assigned the main fight of the evening against the promotion’s former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker, who is now ranked third in the middleweight rankings.

The fight was announced at the end of March, and nothing in the public space indicated its cancellation. On May 28, Chimaev published a motivating video with grueling workouts on social networks, accompanying it with the right message.

“A healthy mind in a healthy body,” wrote Khamzat.

Khamzat Chimaev / Photo: © Chris Unger / Contributor / UFC / Gettyimages.ru

“We can’t continue like this”

On the night of June 13-14, it became known that Chimaev’s fight would not take place. A photograph appeared on the social networks of fighter Muhammad Eskerkhanov where Khamzat lies covered with a sheet on a hospital gurney.

“With every hardship comes relief,” Eskerkhanov wrote in the post.

It was not immediately clear how serious Chimaev’s condition was. I had to worry after the official cancellation of the fight, which was announced on UFC social networks. A replacement followed. At the same time, the head of the promotion, Dana White, did not add optimism when answering a question about the Wolf.

– Unfortunately, Khamzat Chimaev is out of the fight next weekend in Saudi Arabia. He is seriously ill. The fighter is returning home and, hopefully, will recover soon,” White said on social networks.

The fighter’s manager, Majdi Shammas, revealed some details of what happened. According to him, Khamzat had serious health problems for most of the training camp. He was hospitalized several times, and when released, he returned to training too quickly. But the day before, the fighter’s body suffered a serious malfunction.

“The whole team agreed that this cannot continue.” Unfortunately, it is impossible to enter the cage unprepared against such a formidable opponent as Robert. “This is a devastating turn of events for Khamzat, his coaches, training partners and other team members,” Shammas wrote on social media.

Khamzat Chimaev and Maji Shammas / Photo: © Personal archive of Maji Shammas

Regular health problems

Chimaev had a very strong start in the UFC. In 65 days he had three successful fights. However, then the athlete’s health began to fail. Over the next four years, he fought only four fights.

In 2021, his fight with Leon Edwards had to be canceled due to complications caused by the coronavirus. The athlete then also could not really train. There were rumors that he collapsed after every round.

Khamzat also failed to make weight before UFC 279 in 2022. Then the athlete suffered from spasms and convulsions. At some point he lost consciousness, and the doctor forbade further weight loss. As a result, Chimaev competed against Kevin Holland with an extra 3.5 kg.

After the latest problems, it is already obvious to everyone that Chimaev’s body cannot handle such loads, and something needs to be changed in preparation, otherwise the athlete will never be able to reach the title.

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