UFC seems to be stuck in a rough patch. First, it was the withdrawal of their two-division champion, Conor McGregor, from UFC 303. Then came another blow when its ranked #10 UFC middleweight contender Khamzat Chimaev pulled out of the highly anticipated first UFC event in Saudi Arabia against Robert Whittaker.

When one thought things couldn’t get worse, Dana White faces another challenge. Ticket sales for UFC Fight Night: Saudi Arabia is reportedly dropping. The reason seems to be the main event itself, which seems to have lost its attraction after the withdrawal of Khamzat Chimaev.

Dana White faces ticket sales headache for UFC Saudi Arabia

When UFC announced ticket sales for their Saudi Arabia event on Monday, June 21st, it was received with immense hype. However,  according to an MMA page on X, things aren’t as rosy anymore. Ticket sales for the UFC Saudi Arabia event appear to have gone down. Despite prices starting as low as $27 including the site fee, the venue isn’t sold out. VIP packages are still available for $213, but overall sales seem disappointing.

This could be a real headache for Dana White and the UFC. Originally, the fight card was a banger, featuring former champ Robert Whittaker fresh off his win against Paulo Costa. But things got thrown into disarray when Khamzat Chimaev pulled out and Ikram Aliskerov had to step in to take on Whittaker.

Moreover, there have been a lot of speculations lately about Chimaev’s recovery after pictures of him in a hospital bed went viral, leaving fans worried that they might not see him fight again.

Team Khamzat Chimaev speaks out about retirement

Ever since Khamzat Chimaev pulled out of UFC Saudi Arabia, fans have been in a frenzy about his health. It’s no secret he’s had previous withdrawals due to health issues, such as in UFC 297 against Sean Strickland. Before that, he withdrew in 2021 as well, when his bout with Leon Edward was canceled because ‘Borz’ contracted COVID-19.

In the past few days, whispers online suggested Chimaev might retire after the Saudi Arabia event. But his manager stepped in to quash all the speculations.

In an interview with MMA Junkie, Chimaev’s manager Majdi Shammas called all the rumors rubbish, stating, “It’s absolutely not true. We’re planning on getting to the bottom of this situation, the problem. He will be back.”

Instead of Chimaev, Dagistani middleweight contender Ikram Aliskerov will step into the octagon on June 22. It will be intriguing to see if a Dagestani fighter upholds the region’s reputation against the #3 ranked UFC middleweight contender, Robert Whittaker. Stay tuned for further updates.