UFC tweets and deletes massive change to Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev rebooking, sparks frenzy among fans
Robert Whittaker last entered the octagon in June when he defeated Ikram Aliskerov via first-round knockout in the main event of UFC on ABC 6. 'The Reaper' was originally set to face Khamzat Chimaev. The latter was forced to withdraw due to an undisclosed illness. The pair have been rebooked to face one another at UFC 308 in October.
The bout is set for five rounds and will serve as the co-main event of the card, which is headlined by a featherweight title bout between Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway. However, a recent tweet by the UFC suggested that a heavyweight bout between Ciryl Gane and Alexander Volkov will serve as the co-headliner.
The X account Championship Rounds shared a screenshot of the since-deleted tweet, captioning the post:
"🚨 The fight between Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev is seemingly no longer the co-main event of #UFC308 The fight was originally scheduled as a 5-round co-main event (via. @ufc ) #UFC #MMA"
Check out the tweet from Championship Rounds below:
The UFC then deleted the tweet and confirmed that Whittaker vs. Chimaev is still on for the pay-per-view's co-main event.
Check out the UFC's post on X below:
Fans react to confusion surrounding UFC 308 co-main event
Considering Khamzat Chimaev's history of pulling out of fights and the fact that his matchup with Robert Whittaker has been scrapped previously, fans likely experienced a rollercoaster of emotions after the UFC's recent tweet-and-delete regarding the UFC 308 co-headliner.
Thankfully, the pivotal middleweight matchup is still on. When the initial tweet dropped, fans were clearly disappointed, with one user writing:
"Did anyone bet the Chimaev pullout"
Another fan reacted to the UFC announcing Ciryl Gane vs. Alexander Volkov as the co-main event:
"Is this actually the co-main? Tell us what's wrong with Khamzat."
Following the UFC's clarification, fans were relieved and poked fun at the promotion's social media team.
"Don't give me a heart attack like that again"
"How do you guys make a mistake like that?"
Check out more fan reactions below:
