Dana White gives his reaction to Khamzat Chimaev's withdrawal from Robert Whittaker fight: "It’s tough to deal with"

Dana White recently voiced his opinion on Khamzat Chimaev's withdrawal from his fight against Robert Whittaker. Chimaev was slated to headline UFC Saudi Arabia against the former middleweight champion on June 22 in Riyadh.

Chimaev's withdrawal from the fight was first reported early on the morning of the announcement, but it wasn't verified until White posted a video on social media confirming the rumors. The UFC CEO confirmed that Chimaev had to withdraw from the fight nine days beforehand due to illness.

Rising contender Ikram Aliskerov will now travel to Saudi Arabia to step in for Chimaev and compete against the No.3-ranked middleweight. During a recent appearance on The Jim Rome Show, White discussed Chimaev's medical issues, saying:

“The problem is we really don’t know… I saw video footage of him on the ground violently ill. He was hospitalized again… Every time he gets close to fighting he gets really sick. I don’t know. I don’t know what to say. It’s not like he’s over here in this country and we’ve had doctors here look at him or anything like that. He’s sort of out of touch so it’s tough to deal with.”

Majdi Shammas, Chimaev's manager, shared an Instagram post detailing the fighter's troubles. Shammas expressed disappointment with the withdrawal and acknowledged Chimaev's sickness, which required many medical trips.

''This is a devastating turn of events for Khamzat, his coaches, training partners, and other members of the team. Headlining UFC’s first-ever visit to Saudi Arabia was a great honor and something that was very much looked forward to."

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When Khamzat Chimaev was disappointed with Dana White

Dana White's broken commitment previously infuriated Khamzat Chimaev.

Chimaev, who was recovering from a lung infection and torn ligament, told ESPN MMA's Brett Okamoto that the UFC CEO had promised a title shot after his fight against Kamaru Usman at UFC 294 last year, but he later changed his mind.

"They promised me, that after the Usman fight, I will for sure fight for the title. I won that fight, so I don't know what's going on. I heard Dana White say, 'I don't think Khamzat is next for the title.' That's bullsh*t, man. If you promise me something, you have to answer it. I’m the guy who always answers for my words so I don’t care if it’s some president or something, like a king. If you give me your word, you have to answer for that."

Check out Khamzat Chimaev's comments below (4:10):