"He's ill, he is very ill' - Alexander Gustafsson throws light on Khamzat Chimaev's alarming health condition post UFC Saudi Arabia withdrawal
Alexander Gustafsson is convinced that Khamzat Chimaev body reacts poorly to hard training. While Chimaev is one of the top talents on the UFC roster, medical complications have been a serious hurdle for the Chechnian-born UAE national's MMA career.
'Borz' was originally supposed to face Robert Whittaker in the main event of UFC Saudi Arabia and the bout was supposed to have major implications for the middleweight division. However, the 30-year-old was ultimately forced out of the contest due to health issues.
In a recent interview with Cryto Sports Betting, 'Borz's' teammate Gustafsson shed some light on the middleweight contender's lingering health issues saying:
"He very easily catches cold for example, a running nose, coughing, symptoms that are not a big deal at all, we all get that. But I've seen when he increases his training alot, I know his body reacts differently to the training. I dont know where it comes from."
Gustafsson added:
"He's ill, he's very ill... He trains so hard, it's inhuman the way he trains. But his illness is not because he overtrains, this is whole different level of illness."
'Borz' holds an undefeated record of 13-0 with wins against the likes of former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and former welterweight title challenger Gilbert Burns among others.
Following Chimaev's withdrawal, Ikram Aliskerov will now face Whittaker in the main event of UFC Saudi Arabia.
Alexander Gustafsson teases MMA return
While it has almost been two years since he last stepped foot inside the octagon, it looks like Alexander Gustafsson hasn't shut the door on MMA just yet.
Talking to Crypto Sports Betting, the former three-time UFC light heavyweight title challenger suggested that he'd be willing to make a comeback if he was presented with a worth while offer:
"I'm not closing any doors, if I get an offer, I get an offer and we'd take it from there. The life I'm living right now, it wouldn't take much for me to adapt and get back into fight mode. I'm still in the game... What I really want right now is to feel that hunger again of competing and walking into a training camp and going to hell and back."
Gustafsson holds an MMA record of 18-8 with wins against the likes of former light heavyweight champions Glover Teixeira, Jan Blachowicz and Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua among others.
Watch Alexander Gustafsson kncokout Glover Teixeira below: