Khamzat Chimaev sends message to Robert Whittaker after UFC Saudi Arabia

Tom Taylor

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Khamzat Chimaev sends message to Robert Whittaker after UFC Saudi Arabia image

Khamzat Chimaev is still intent on fighting Robert Whittaker. 

The two middleweight stars were set to meet in the main event of the UFC's debut in Saudi Arabia this past Saturday, in a fight that was expected to push the winner right into title contention. Regrettably, the plan fell through when Chimaev fell ill. 

With Chimaev out of action, Australia's Whittaker then accepted a fight with another dangerous Russian in Ikram Aliskerov. The change of plans did not seem to bother the former champion, as he knocked out his short-notice foe inside a round — his first stoppage win since 2017.

With his win over Aliskerov, Whittaker is now one of the top contenders in the UFC middleweight division. In fact, he may well be called upon to serve as the backup for Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya's newly announced UFC 305 title fight in Australia.

One way or the other, it's clear that Chimaev will still be nipping at his heels. 

Speaking on X in the wake of Saturday's main event, Chimaev took a moment to congratulate Whittaker, before assuring the Australian that their story is not over yet. 

He also wished Aliskerov well after his loss to Whittaker. 

"Congratulations [Whittaker]," he wrote in Russian. "We are not done!"

"I wish you a speedy recovery [Aliskerov], keep your head up my brother," he added. 

Chimaev has long been considered one of the scariest young fighters in the UFC. However, despite a 13-0 record that includes wins over the likes of Kamaru Usman, Kevin Holland and Gilbert Burns, he has yet to fight for the title. That's due in large part to his prolonged stretches of inactivity, which have repeatedly been due to health problems. 

Chimaev's health has been such an issue that UFC CEO Dana White said he has "no clue" when the Russian will fight again. 

"We'll see what happens," White said at the post-fight press conference for Saturday's card in Saudi Arabia. "Maybe we try to move him over to Abu Dhabi [on August 3] and see if he can make that fight."

Whittaker, meanwhile, has now won two straight, having also beaten Paulo Costa by decision since an upset loss to Du Plessis last year. 

Tom Taylor

Tom Taylor Photo

Tom Taylor covers MMA for The Sporting News. He has been covering combat sports for over a decade, working as a multimedia journalist for publications like Bleacher Report, the South China Morning Post, Vice, Maxim, and the Japan Times.