UFC CEO Dana White: Khamzat Chimaev’s consistent health issues are ‘difficult to deal with’

UFC CEO Dana White admits that it has been a challenge managing a career Khamzat Chimaev.

Without a doubt, White has never been better with a fighter than with Chimaev (13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) as the undefeated fighter arrived on the UFC scene in 2020 and won a record of three victories within 66 days. He has fought just four times in the 45 months since, however, and his progress was once again limited last week.

Chimaev, 30, was forced to withdraw from Saturday UFC on ABC 6 main event against Robert Whittaker in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, after he was hospitalized with a health issue.

The details of Chimaev’s problems remain unconfirmed, although his manager told MMA Junkie on Monday that rumors that the latest setback could lead to retirement are “absolutely not true.” Despite this, White struggled to offer more hope about Chimaev’s future during an interview on Monday. “The Jim Rome Show,” mainly because he’s a bit in the dark.

“The problem is we don’t really know (what’s going on),” White said. “Every time this guy gets close to a fight, I see a video of him seriously ill on the ground and he is hospitalized again. He hadn’t trained for three or four days, or five days, I don’t remember what the number was. But we couldn’t put him in a fight next weekend.

“Lately it’s been difficult to get him into the octagon. Every time he comes close to fighting, he becomes very sick. I do not know what to say. It’s not like he’s here in this country and doctors are checking him out or anything. He’s kind of out of touch, so it’s hard to deal with.”

In a statement to MMA Junkie, Chimaev’s manager, Majdi Shammas, expressed optimism about the fighter’s recovery and promised “he will be back”.

Chimaev, No. 9 in latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie midfield ratingslast competed at UFC 294 in October, where he scored a majority decision victory over former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.

For more information on the card, visit the MMA Junkie events hub to UFC on ABC 6.

This story originally appeared on MMA Junkie