Khamzat Chimaev’s stock in the UFC is falling with each passing day. ‘Borz’ made a splash when he entered the UFC by winning three fights in record time. Since then, the walk to the octagon has become an annual trip for the Chechen fighter, very in tune with his walks to the hospital.
In a concerning update, fellow teammate Alexander Gustafsson revealed why Borz struggles to stay fit despite being one of the hardest workers in the room.
Dana White confirmed earlier this month that Chimaev was out of his bout against Robert Whittaker as he was ‘violently ill’.
White did not shed further light on the situation but emphasized that Chimaev was in no shape to fight. This is not the first time the Swede has pulled out of a fight.
This has raised questions about his ability to stay fit enough to fight. Amidst the chaos, his teammate Alexander Gustaffson shed some light on the situation.
“The guy gets ill. There is something with his body that reacts to hard training, because he is the hardest worker in the room… He very easily catches a cold, for example – a runny nose, coughing, symptoms that are not a big deal at all, we all get that. But I’ve seen when he increases his training a lot, I know his body reacts differently to the training. I don’t know where it comes from. It’s crazy how he reacts to the training these days.”
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At this point in time, Chimaev has pulled out of not one but six fights in the UFC.
Naturally, this will reduce the confidence that the UFC and the fans have in him to actually show up and give them their money’s worth. But health isn’t his only issue either.
A closer look at Khamzat Chimaev’s situation
Since September 2020, Chimaev has competed only four times in the UFC, never in the USA. Dana White in a recent interview shed light on the situation with Chimaev and the UFC’s inability to do anything about it.
Chimaev is currently banned from entering the United States due to his relationship with Ramzan Kadyrov.
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This means that the UFC can not get their doctors to have a look at him since he is not allowed into the country. Dana White mentioned this as a major issue with the Chechen fighter.
Earlier during his feud with Nate Diaz, he had shown up to the weigh in about 8 lbs heavier and when Joe Rogan had pressed him about it, he had simply blamed his doctors.
Now, in an ideal situation, the UFC doctors would be taking a close look at him but since he can’t enter the USA, that has been a distant possibility. Now, hopefully, Khamzat Chimaev recovers and gets back to his winning ways. He is too good off a fighter to be fighting viruses all the time.
