Betting Favorite: Khamzat Chimaev Pulls out of UFC 308
Khamzat Chimaev has proven himself so unreliable that sportsbooks are offering bets on whether or not he’ll pull out of his UFC 308 return.
Recently, the promotion announced a few big matchups for its return to Abu Dhabi this fall, including a featherweight title clash as Ilia Topuria puts his belt on the line for the first time against ex-champion and reigning BMF titleholder Max Holloway.
Also announced was a rebooked battle between Chimaev and former middleweight king Robert Whittaker. The two were originally scheduled to headline UFC’s big debut in Saudi Arabia this summer, but ‘Borz’ backed out of the bout after becoming “violently ill” with an undisclosed illness.
Whittaker went on to smash his way through Ikram Aliskerov at Kingdom Arena, earning a first-round KO and snapping the Russian’s seven-fight unbeaten streak.
Oddsmakers are not convinced Khamzat Chimaev will show up in Abu Dhabi
Ever since he stormed into the UFC by earning three wins in the span of eight weeks, Chimaev has seen his activity drop significantly, averaging barely one fight per year since 2020. Additionally, the undefeated Chechen has had several fights canceled, including three different matchups with Leon Edwards, a headliner with Nate Diaz, a heavily marketed clash with Paulo Costa, and of course, his meeting with ‘The Reaper’ in Riyadh.
All, but two of those withdraws were initiated by Chimaev.
As a result, BetOnline.ag is offering a prop play that allows bettors to wager on whether or not Chimaev’s UFC 308 scrap with Whittaker will actually happen. ‘No’ is currently favored, sitting at -140 odds while ‘Yes’ is listed as an even +100.
Check out odds for some of the big fights going down at Etihad Arena in October below:
