Former UFC bantamweight title challenger Alexander Gustafsson spoke about top middleweight prospect Hamzat Chimaev's health issues.
Chimaev is scheduled to fight Robert Whittaker on June 22 at UFC on ABC 6 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, but withdrew from the fight for unknown reasons.
"Khamzat is the hardest working guy and there is something in his body that reacts to the hard training he does. He catches colds very easily, like runny noses, coughs, symptoms that are no big deal at all, we all have it. I've had the chance to see Hamzat's body react differently to the fact that his workouts are getting more and more challenging.
Honestly, I can't even imagine how frustrated Hamzat is, I know he's not feeling well at all. He is sick, he is very sick. In addition, his psyche is suffering. There is a big fight ahead, an important tournament in Saudi Arabia and everything depends on you and then you have to withdraw. Hamzat is going through a difficult time right now. But we know him, I know him, so I'm sure he will come back very strong," MMA Mania quoted Gustafsson as saying.
