A former two-time UFC bantamweight champion has shed light on the extreme and distressing nature of Khamzat Chimaev’s weight cut leading up to his bout with Sean Strickland.
Chimaev relinquished his middleweight title to Strickland via split decision at UFC 328. Following the loss, associates and close friends of the Chechen-born fighter disclosed that Chimaev had to shed nearly 14 pounds on the final day. While Chimaev managed the initial 9 pounds relatively easily, shedding the remaining 4 to reach the 185-pound limit proved to be a nightmare. According to Arman Tsarukyan, Chimaev was on the verge of abandoning the cut.
T.J. Dillashaw: Khamzat Chimaev Was “Near Death” Before UFC 328 Weigh-Ins
In an interview with MMA Fighting, T.J. Dillashaw revealed that Khamzat Chimaev was disinclined to make weight for UFC 328 and was prepared to offer Sean Strickland $1 million to avoid the fight. Dillashaw attributed these difficulties to Chimaev’s nutritionist and team, asserting they mishandled the final stages of the weight cut. He stated:
“I introduced him [Khamzat Chimaev] to Calavitta, and Sam Calavitta is the best in the business. You can say whatever you want about it, what he does that people donโt do, heโs so smart, and the amount of work that he puts into a camp is insane. Like everything, the way youโre recovering, the supplements youโre taking, the minerals youโre missing in your body from blood work, hair samples, what your hormone levels are doing, like everything. [If] you want to reach that peak performance. Heโs the guy to go with. And then, unfortunately, they had trusted someone else to do some of his nutrition and weight cut towards the end, and it just ruined it all.”
“I saw him sitting in the bathtub to cut weight. It was like, Sam wouldnโt have him sitting in the bathtub to cut weight. โฆ And then to hear the story of what actually was happening to him and him puking up green bile and just all the like crazy sh*t. He should not have made it to the fightโฆ How tough Khamzat is to do as well as he did on almost dying before getting on that scale. Like Iโm saying, almost dying, like scary stories.”
T.J. Dillashaw further elaborated:
“He wanted to give Strickland $1 million and say, โHey, take it. I canโt make it, Iโm going to die.โ And you forget this guyโs got half a thyroid, right? His metabolism is half of a normal man. And so if youโre not treating it the right way, you could kill him. And I really believe he was on the verge of death making that weight cut.”
During the same interview, the 40-year-old expressed his belief that “Borz” had done enough to win at UFC 328 and was “robbed.” Dillashaw suggested this was the reason Sean Strickland is reluctant to grant Chimaev a rematch.
“I thought he won at least three rounds with the fourth round even being close. It was not a robberyโฆ Iโve said that multiple times. It was a close fight due to Khamzatโs underperformance โ massive underperformance. And thatโs why Sean doesnโt want to fight him again.”
Despite the severe weight cut and the health issues Chimaev experienced pre-fight, Dillashaw felt that “Borz” still appeared to be the fighter with superior cardio.
He suggested that Khamzat Chimaev requires appropriate guidance, a more professional approach to weight cutting, and meticulous water management during his attempts to shed weight. Finally, Dillashaw stated his desire for Chimaev to reclaim the middleweight title before contemplating a move to the UFC light heavyweight division.
