Cormier: "Didn't Chimaev burn his wings?".

Titled American mixed martial arts veteran, commentator and expert Daniel Cormier has spoken out about the removal of Hamzat Chimaev from UFC on ABC 6.

The undefeated middleweight was scheduled to fight former champion Robert Whittaker on June 22 at a show in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, but withdrew due to health problems. He will be replaced by Ikram Aliskerov.

"I always wonder if he got too high at the beginning, if he burned his wings. Because then Hamzat fought twice in one week, was so on fire that everybody thought he was the next greatest fighter, capable of finishing anybody.

And here he is fighting Kamaru Usman, beating him - that's a huge accomplishment. But because of what he did to Li Jingliang, winning by decision is seen as a loss of his own aura," ESPN quoted Cormier as saying.