Whittaker: "I sympathize with Chimaev and wish him a speedy recovery"

Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker has backed Hamzat Chimaev, who withdrew from their bout due to health issues.

The meeting of these fighters was supposed to be the main event of the tournament UFC on ABC 6, which will be held on June 22 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Now the Australian's opponent will be Ikram Aliskerov.

"I don't have a sour taste in my mouth about this situation. Honestly, I sympathize with him and wish him a speedy recovery. We work in the entertainment industry, so we fight and see each other as rivals. But outside of the cage, for those 15-25 minutes, we're just people. I want him to recover quickly and be healthy," MMA Junkie quoted Whittaker as saying.