Last month, Saudi Arabia hosted its first-ever UFC event, UFC Fight Night: Saudi Arabia, which was set to feature a highly anticipated main event between former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker and the current #11 ranked middleweight contender Khamzat Chimaev. However, just weeks before the fight, Chimaev was forced to withdraw because of illness, and Dagistan’s Ikram Aliskerov stepped in as a late replacement.

Now, a health expert has taken to social media to offer an analysis of the illness patterns and reasons that have sidelined Khamzat Chimaev multiple times in the past.

Health expert analyzes Khamzat Chimaev’s illness

Khamzat Chimaev has a history of illness. It began in 2020 when he was scheduled to face Leon Edwards in a welterweight fight but contracted COVID-19, which affected his bout. Chimaev later announced a temporary retirement but returned afterward. In January 2024, the fighter was hospitalized, and he informed his fans about the same via social media, sharing a picture showing rashes that forced him out of a fight against Paulo Costa, with Kamaru Usman stepping in.

Now, his last month’s withdrawal from UFC Saudi Arabia has raised serious concerns. On his YouTube channel, Sven Koch analyzed the reasons behind Khamzat Chimaev’s illness. “We’ve all heard the recent news of Khamzat Chimaev having to withdraw from his fight against Robert Whittaker due to severe illness,” Koch said.

He further added, ” I don’t want to speculate on Khamzat’s medical condition, and I wish him a speedy recovery. However, this did remind me of reports from late 2020. At that time, Khamzat Chimaev had trained through severe illness, even coughing up blood. He ended up in the hospital in serious condition. It almost ended his career.”

Later on, Sven Koch emphasized the training habits of Khamzat Chimaev, trying to link his poor immune system with his intense training regimen in a scientific manner.

Is over-training harming “Borz”?

Khamzat Chimaev remains undefeated in the UFC, but he has consistently been sidelined by illness, his greatest rival in his career. Known for his heavy training and regular workouts, Chimaev’s approach has backfired.

According to seven Koch, “The line between overreaching and over-training is blurry. Overreaching is an accumulation load that leads to a drop in performance. It requires a few days to weeks to recover from. Chronic overreaching without adequate rest can eventually lead to the so-called Over-training Syndrome.”

He further added, “Over-training is particularly common among high-performance athletes who train for 4-6 hours a day, 6 days a week, for multiple months without sufficient rest.” In conclusion, combat sports require high-intensity workouts with explosive intervals, followed by a brief recovery period. These recovery periods are essential for improving the immune system, but Borz’s back-to-back fights have worked against him.

Right now, there is no new update on Khamzat Chimaev’s health, but a social media post recently suggested that the fighter was back to training. Do you want to see Chimaev make a comeback to the UFC? Let us know in the comments below.