Team Khamzat denies ‘fake rumors’ of food poisoning, hints at more serious issue: ‘Praying for his recovery’

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Nobody outside of his immediate circle knows exactly what is going wrong for Khamzat Chimaev. Just days ago, the top-ranked Middleweight prospect was forced to withdraw at the last second from his planned main event — and likely title eliminator — versus Robert Whittaker at UFC Saudi Arabia. He was ultimately replaced by Ikram Aliskerov, and pictures quickly circulated of “Borz” in the hospital.

The particularly unfortunate part is that this isn’t Chimaev’s first health problem. The Chechen wrestling ace suffered a nasty bout of COVID-19 in 2020, and his illness was so severe that he considered retirement. In the four years since, he’s fought just four times and seen several fights and multiple scheduled main events cancelled.

Initially, Chimaev’s withdrawal from UFC Saudi Arabia was contributed to food poisoning. Top Middleweight prospect Bo Nickal attributed it to partying too much, though that rumor has been denied outright. Whatever the case, a member of Khamzat Chimaev’s training camp, Tam Khan, has issued his own statement alleging that it’s a more serious health issue than food poisoning.

“All these fake rumours about [Khamzat Chimaev] pulling out due to food poisoning is absolutely bullshit,” Khan wrote on X. “I was part of the camp & behind the scenes. As a brother I won’t share his dark times but trust me when I say, he was very sick & hospitalised. The guy’s a beast & to see him so bad wasn’t a good time for us all.

“Praying for his recovery & comeback. Unfortunately God had other plans & nobody could’ve anticipated or foreseen this. The last weeks were tough & he tried every solution but last week got so bad that it was impossible to fight. InshaAllah he’ll be back, but for now, rest & recovery is needed.”

The last time we saw Chimaev in the Octagon was opposite short-notice replacement Kamaru Usman, and “Borz” remained undefeated via close decision. He should be closing in on a title shot that’s been talked about since 2022, but these consistent delays and health issues have significantly slowed the 30 year old’s rise.

It remains to be seen when he’ll be back in action.

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