“I’ve seen when he increases his training a lot, I know his body reacts differently to the training. I don’t know where it comes from. It’s crazy how he reacts to the training these days.” Alexander Gustafsson, Khamzat Chimaev’s training partner, revealed the reason behind his pullout just 2 days before UFC Riyadh last year. He fell violently ill and was hospitalized, leaving behind all chances of making an epic return against Robert Whittaker. Nevertheless, he did manage to come back stronger and beat ‘The Reaper’ in splendid fashion at UFC 308. However, the uncertainty behind Chimaev’s stance before his fights still haunts the MMA world. The concern even caught up to Dricus Du Plessis, who, in typical fashion, weaponized it.
Of course, the excitement around the fight between Du Plessis and Chimaev reached a fever pitch after Dana White announced it for UFC 319. Even the middleweight champion promised, “Prepare to be amazed.. Again!” Furthermore, his partner, Vasti Spiller, dropped two words after the fight was announced – “It’s time.” But the worries still existed. After all, Chimaev has had 6 fight cancellations in the last 5 years.
The curse began troubling the Chechen Wolf back in 2020, when he was supposed to fight Leon Edwards. The fight was cancelled on both sides as a precaution during the COVID-19 pandemic. But later on, with ‘Borz’ still suffering from the aftereffects of a coronavirus infection, he was forced to pull out of the next two matchups against ‘Rocky’. After that, his welterweight bout against Nate Diaz was scrapped because he missed weight. The curse struck again when Chimaev was slated to fight Paulo Costa. But a staph infection pushed the Brazilian out of the contest. And the UFC Riyadh pullout after falling violently ill was the last time Chimaev pulled out of a fight.
But the infections and inactivity did not affect his skills. Chimaev dominated the Octagon against ‘The Reaper’ despite being out of action for way too long. However, things took a turn when the UFC officially announced Nassourdine Imavov as the backup fighter for UFC 319. It was as if Dana White didn’t want to take any chances. And weighing in on Chimaev’s curse, ‘Stillknocks’ took to his IG Story and shared the news of Imavov’s role at UFC 319. In the caption, he wrote, “Guess I’m fighting [Nassourdine Imavov].” Of course, these words must have rung loud in Chimaev’s mind. But he is yet to make a statement on it.
Nevertheless, the Chechen Wolf has already successfully pinpointed his shortcomings. Talking about the changes he brought in after pulling out of the Whittaker fight, he said, “I used to go to the gym and just train until I was done. But then I ended up in the hospital. Like, the last time when I was in the hospital three times in a row within three weeks. My immune system went down; I got sick. Now, I use a better approach. I work with good coaches [who] raised a lot of world champions… I am going to take a big step forward.” And with the fight between Chimaev and Du Plessis in mind, most fight fans worry about the Chechen star’s power.
Dricus Du Plessis reacts to the news that Nassourdine Imavov will serve as the backup fighter for his #UFC319 headliner against Khamzat Chimaev.
“Guess I’m fighting Nassourdine Imavov.” pic.twitter.com/3BvqZ7FKkM
— MMA Orbit (@mma_orbit) May 14, 2025
Back when he fought Whittaker, he not only submitted ‘The Reaper’ with a face crank, but he also broke his mandible. This proved the kind of strength ‘Borz’ had in his arms. However, while the world was concerned for Du Plessis, the MW champion dismissed Chimaev as a threat.
Dricus Du Plessis doesn’t get scared of the power that Khamzat Chimaev brings to UFC 319
During a conversation with Ariel Helwani, Du Plessis weighed in on the matchup against Chimaev. Ever since the Chechen Wolf displayed his prowess at UFC 308, ‘Stillknocks’ has been itching to get in the Octagon with him. He said, “People think of Khamzat as this boogeyman. That’s a fact. I don’t. I don’t see that. For me, I only see one thing, and that’s the potential to do good to my legacy. The potential to make my legacy even better.”
Du Plessis pointed out that Chimaev was pretty tough to deal with in the beginning. But so was he. Du Plessis claimed that he has already proven that he can go on to the championship rounds. And that’s what ‘Stillknocks’ believes will play in his favor. He said, “So that is 100 percent a situation where I see if he can last that long. He has to realize if he wants to come out. I’m still going to be there, like I was there in the first, ready to kill. That will never change in my game.”
But on the other hand, it’s a well-known fact that Chimaev trains hard. There are instances where the Chechen fighter trained all day long. Yes, that’s the reason why he fell sick in the first place. But that’s also where his strength comes from. Now, it’s all a question of whether he can reflect his training against Du Plessis or not. And the even bigger question? Will he actually show up or get his 7th cancellation in 5 years?
What do you think of Du Plessis’ jibe at Chimaev’s history of health issues? Is putting up an official backup for the bout, the UFC’s way of saying ‘Borz’ is not reliable? Let us know what you think in the comments seciton down below.
The post Controversial Past Haunts Khamzat Chimaev as Dricus Du Plessis Fires Shots After UFC 319 Update appeared first on EssentiallySports.