Kamaru Usman’s manager claims he agreed to fight Robert Whittaker on short-notice at UFC Saudi Arabia

Robert Whittaker was scheduled to take on Khamzat Chimaev in the main event of UFC Saudi Arabia on June 22. However, several days ago, rumors began swirling that 'Borz' would be unable to make it to fight night, which turned out to be true as he withdrew due to illness on June 14.

'The Reaper' will now take on Ikram Aliskerov, who holds a 15-1 record, with his lone defeat coming against Chimaev at Brave CF 23 in 2019. Aliskerov is currently unranked in the middleweight division, but is 2-0 in the UFC with two first-round finishes and a touted title prospect.

It was reported that Kamaru Usman, who previously faced 'Borz' in a short-notice middleweight bout at UFC 294, and Sean Strickland, were offered to fight Whittaker at UFC Saudi Arabia - but both turned it down.

However, Usman's longtime manager Ali Abdelaziz has claimed that 'The Nigerian Nightmare' infact accepted the offer.

Abdelaziz took to X to respond to a post that had reported news of both former champions turning down an offer to fight 'The Reaper', and wrote this:

"@USMAN84kg said yes"

See Abdelaziz's post about Kamaru Usman facing Robert Whittaker below:

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Khamzat Chimaev's manager issues statement after withdrawal from Robert Whittaker fight

MMA fans have had quite the week, with both the Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler fight and Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev being canceled on the same day.

But news of Chimaev's withdrawal was far more sudden than McGregor's, with little indication being given before the fight was officially called off.

The Chechen's manager, Majdi Shammas, has now released a statement, and discussed the severe illness that hampered the training camp of 'Borz'. According to Shammas, Chimaev's illness was so serious that it required several trips to the hospital during camp, and no cure could be found in time to recover for fight night.

With the original UFC Saudi Arabia main event scheduled to be a title eliminator, the middleweight title picture once again becomes less clear.

Shammas took to Instagram and wrote this:

"He has been in and out of hospitals several times. The condition has been kept within the team, since everyone has been absolutely committed to finding a solution. Although all available options have been thoroughly considered, it has now come to a point where the team has mutually agreed that it is not possible to carry on like this."

See Chimaev's manager discuss his withdrawal from Robert Whittaker fight below: