The body of former UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev “shut down” during a brutal weight cut down to 185 lbs before UFC 328.
Chimaev visibly struggled to make weight before his UFC 328 split decision loss to Strickland this past Saturday in Newark, New Jersey. He was the last fighter on the scale, and he looked exhausted as he weighed in. He did make the 185 lbs limit for a middleweight title fight, but the weight cut clearly took a toll on him, as for the first time in his UFC career, he gassed out in a fight.
Now, we know why this happened to Chimaev.
Khamzat Chimaev’s Brother Explains Bad Weight Cut
Speaking to Sportsru in an interview just a few days after UFC 328, Chimaev’s brother Artur explained that the former champion suffered through a strenuous weight cut that left his body depleted before the event.
“As far as I know, there were no injuries, but there was a problem with the weight cut: the question was whether to cancel the fight or take a risk. With 1.2 kg remaining, his body gave out. You saw the result on his face when Khamzat stepped on the scale. We were interrupted for an hour because my health didn’t allow it, but then we got everything done. Khamzat also said he didn’t know how he could fight in such a state. And in the second round, it became clear that his body hadn’t recovered. I understand that people have questions about why they decided to cut so much weight in such a short period,” Artur Chimaev said (translated from Russian).
Khamzat Chimaev Was Going to Fight Jiri Prochazka at Light Heavyweight
According to Artur Chimaev, his brother Khamzat was supposed to fight Jiri Prochazka at light heavyweight before the UFC called him to fight Strickland at 185 lbs. Because he was already bulking up for light heavyweight, the cut down to middleweight became even more difficult, contributing to him having a terrible weight cut and significantly affecting his gas tank in the fight.
“There was an agreement with the UFC for him to fight Jiri Prochazka (in the 93 kg weight class). He already had a contract in place, but then they contacted him directly and asked him to fight Sean. Khamzat is the type of guy who never turns anyone down in such situations, so he accepted the fight, deciding to cut from 105 kg to 84 kg,” Artur Chimaev said.
Despite Chimaev having a bad weight cut and barely making the 185 lbs weight limit against Strickland, he apparently still wants to remain at middleweight and give it another go.
Although the original plan was to move to 205 lbs, Chimaev’s team said on Tuesday that he wants to stay at middleweight and rematch Strickland, whom he is “obsessed” with. We will see what the UFC ends up doing here, and if this story about Chimaev’s cut down to 185 lbs affects their decision to grant him a rematch or not. But regardless, if Chimaev does fight Strickland again, he must cut weight smarter this time around and not bulk up so much again.
Body of Khamzat Chimev ‘Shut Down’ During UFC 328 Weight Cut