Khamzat
Chimaev has taken some heat for his lack of activity in recent
years.
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After emerging as one of the
Ultimate Fighting Championship’s hottest prospects in 2020,
Chimaev’s ascent has slowed somewhat. He fought just once in 2023
and will make his first appearance this year when he meets Robert
Whittaker in the UFC 308
co-headliner on Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
“Borz” was supposed to face Whittaker at
UFC Saudi Arabia on June 22, but the Chechen-born Swede was
forced to pull out of the event after become “violently ill” a
little more than a week before the fight. According to Chimaev, his
exit occurred due to circumstances beyond his control.
“We were in training camp. The first month was very good,” Chimaev
said on the UFC Countdown show. “The last three weeks, my immunity
goes down. I don’t know what happened. All the guys ate the same
food, [but] only [I] got sick.
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“I was in the hospital for a couple of days. I came out and started
to train again and the same s—t happened again. The doctor said to
me, ‘You need to just be off from the gym and not just training,
not doing nothing.’ I went home to the mountains.”
Chimaev recently revealed that he has
altered his training approach to emphasize rest and recovery
during his camp, which he expects will improve his immune system
health as fight night approaches.
The 30-year-old Chimaev is 13-0 since beginning his professional
tenure in 2018. He is 7-0 in UFC competition and is coming off a
majority decision triumph over former welterweight champ Kamaru
Usman in his 185-pound debut at UFC 294 in October 2023.