Welcome to Midnight Mania!
Nobody outside of his immediate circle knows exactly what is going wrong for Khamzat Chimaev. Just days ago, the top-ranked Middleweight prospect was forced to withdraw at the last second from his planned main event — and likely title eliminator — versus Robert Whittaker at UFC Saudi Arabia. He was ultimately replaced by Ikram Aliskerov, and pictures quickly circulated of “Borz” in the hospital.
The particularly unfortunate part is that this isn’t Chimaev’s first health problem. The Chechen wrestling ace suffered a nasty bout of COVID-19 in 2020, and his illness was so severe that he considered retirement. In the four years since, he’s fought just four times and seen several fights and multiple scheduled main events cancelled.
Initially, Chimaev’s withdrawal from UFC Saudi Arabia was contributed to food poisoning. Top Middleweight prospect Bo Nickal attributed it to partying too much, though that rumor has been denied outright. Whatever the case, a member of Khamzat Chimaev’s training camp, Tam Khan, has issued his own statement alleging that it’s a more serious health issue than food poisoning.
“All these fake rumours about [Khamzat Chimaev] pulling out due to food poisoning is absolutely bullshit,” Khan wrote on X. “I was part of the camp & behind the scenes. As a brother I won’t share his dark times but trust me when I say, he was very sick & hospitalised. The guy’s a beast & to see him so bad wasn’t a good time for us all.
“Praying for his recovery & comeback. Unfortunately God had other plans & nobody could’ve anticipated or foreseen this. The last weeks were tough & he tried every solution but last week got so bad that it was impossible to fight. InshaAllah he’ll be back, but for now, rest & recovery is needed.”
The last time we saw Chimaev in the Octagon was opposite short-notice replacement Kamaru Usman, and “Borz” remained undefeated via close decision. He should be closing in on a title shot that’s been talked about since 2022, but these consistent delays and health issues have significantly slowed the 30 year old’s rise.
It remains to be seen when he’ll be back in action.
Insomnia
Ian Garry doesn’t see too much special about Michael Page.
The endless weight cutting could severely impact Ikram Aliskerov’s performance if he’s not careful. Large cuts are timed specifically to the weigh-in date for a reason!
Tim Sylvia is competing in slap fights at 48 years of age. Surely, this will end well.
Former #UFC champion Tim Sylvia won another slap fight over the weekend. Somehow his opponent, who per the broadcast “spends most of his time in the woods” missed both of his slap attempts and got laughed at by a woman in the front row pic.twitter.com/ixfFwEMnDQ
— Richard Mann (@RichardAMann) June 18, 2024
If Chael Sonnen said it, then it must be true!
The science behind Mike Davis’ injury, as well as Drew Dober’s classy reaction to it.
Robert Whittaker is probably the most badass video game nerd on the planet.
Slips, rips, and KO clips
Heavy punches in the pocket:
This is a very quick transition to the back and under the neck.
I’ve said it before, but there’s no such thing as too many power kicks into the open side.
Random Land
Trippy little graphic trickery.
Midnight Music: Soul, 1969
Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.
