Getty Khamzat Chimaev
Former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman ripped Khamzat Chimaev for “cheating” after the Russian-born fighter missed weight on Friday for his upcoming headliner against Nate Diaz.
Chimaev was scheduled to compete at welterweight during UFC 279 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. However, “Borz” missed the 171-pound limit by seven-and-a-half pounds, hitting the mark at 178.5 pounds.
After Chimaev stepped onto the scale during the official weigh-in ceremony at the UFC Apex Center, UFC commentator Jon Anik announced Borz didn’t make weight. With a smile, Chimaev said: “Not that bad,” and walked off the stage.
You can watch Chimaev weighing in below via ESPN’s tweet:
Leading MMA journalist Ariel Helwani reported after that Chimaev coming in heavy was due to a “medical issue.” “I’m told the reason why Chimaev missed weight by so much was due to a ‘medical issue,'” Helwani tweeted. “Unclear what that is and how that affects him long term.”
Well, Weidman took to Twitter to take issue with Chimaev’s botched weight cut, as well as the fighter’s demeanor during the weigh-in.
“Always a medical issue (face-palm emoji)!” Weidman replied to Helwani’s tweet. “Punk move to miss weight by that much and come on scale smiling. He doesn’t deserve that fight. It’s cheating. Chimaev- (Kevin) Holland .. Diaz- (Tony) Ferguson .. they all get paid more other than chimaev.”
Chimaev missing weight came on the heels of the UFC canceling the event’s pre-fight press conference on Thursday for an alleged physical altercation featuring several people, including Chimaev, Diaz and Kevin Holland.
At the time of this writing, no word has been given about what will happen with Saturday night’s headliner. There is speculation that Diaz will fight Tony Ferguson at welterweight, and Borz will square off against Holland in a catchweight clash as the co-main event.
Weidman Brought Up When Darren Till Missed Weight When He Fought Stephen Thompson, Chimaev Jokingly Pinned Weight Debacle on Till
Weidman then pointed to Chimaev’s training partner and friend, English UFC fighter Darren Till, who missed weight when he battled Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson in May 2018.
“Is it a coincidence that his boy Till missed weight when fighting @WonderboyMMA by 3 lbs?” Weidman questioned.
A little while after Chimaev scale debacle, he took to Twitter to share a photoshopped image of himself and Till, writing: “@darrentill2 It’s his fault (laughing emoji).” See the photo below:
@darrentill2 It’s his fault 😂
Other Notable MMA Names Gave Their Take on Chimaev Missing Weight
Several fighters reacted to Chimaev’s weight miss via Twitter. “Professionals make weight (middle finger emoji),” Holland tweeted, sharing a video of his UFC 279 weigh-in.
“I don’t think I’ve seen a fighter in recent history fall from public favor so fast,” UFC lightweight Terrance McKinney wrote. “Just a month ago everyone loved Khamzat and then he took the Diaz fight, feuded with Paulo (Costa) & Holland then misses weight and now people is s******* on him.”
I don’t think I’ve seen a fighter in recent history fall from public favor so fast. Just a month ago everyone loved Khamzat and then he took the Diaz fight, feuded with Paulo & Holland then misses weight and now people is shitting on him
Chimaev’s most recent opponent Gilbert Burns tweeted: “Dumba** (face-palm and clown emojis).”
Another of Borz’s past opponents, Gerald Meerschaert, wrote: “Real gangsters make weight.”
Top-ranked UFC bantamweight Chito Vera also chimed in, writing: “Missing weight, that’s not gangster move.”
Missing weight, that’s not gangster move.