Khamzat Chimaev surprised fans by weighing in two pounds under the middleweight limit at the UFC 319 weigh-ins, but there might be more to the story than first appeared.
The Chechen’s title shot has been a long time coming. He made his debut five years ago and immediately made it clear he was after welterweight gold. Now fighting at middleweight, Chimaev is looking to complete that journey against Dricus du Plessis inside Chicago’s United Center.
READ MORE: Joe Rogan puts Dricus du Plessis on the same ‘level of discipline’ as dominant UFC champ
Chimaev moved up from welterweight to focus on a run at 185 pounds and has since been working towards his first championship opportunity. To win the belt, he’ll need to get past Dricus du Plessis.
Nutritionist Denies Chimaev Was Two Pounds Underweight at UFC 319 Weigh-Ins
Khamzat Chimaev didn’t miss weight, but his appearance at the UFC 319 weigh-ins still raised eyebrows. Despite stripping down and stepping on the scale behind a curtain — a move usually made by those concerned about being overweight — the middleweight challenger’s weight was read out as 183 pounds.
The fact that he came in two pounds under the limit led to questions, especially after Dricus du Plessis suggested there might have been an issue with the scale.
Chimaev’s nutritionist, Matteo Capodaglio, has since addressed those concerns. Posting on Instagram, he explained that they had weighed in just under 185 pounds on two different UFC scales before stepping onto the Athletic Commission’s scale.
“Before any speculation starts about Khamzat’s weight, we weighed in on two UFC scales before stepping on the Athletic Commission’s one,” Capodaglio wrote.
“Our weight was 184.8 lb. I’m not sure if it was an operator issue, but I can assure you Khamzat’s weight was right below the championship limit of 185 lb,” he added.
Khamzat Chimaev issues bold warning to Dricus du Plessis before UFC 319
Outside of the numerous fight cancellations, the UFC 319 build-up had been relatively calm. But things did boil over briefly at Friday’s ceremonial weigh-ins.
After Chimaev got physical with Du Plessis, prompting Dana White and security to step in, he sent a final message to the champion ahead of fight night.
Speaking on stage with Joe Rogan, Chimaev said: “Just gonna go f— this boy up.”
He followed up with another warning: “One day, he has only one day left. He is dead tomorrow.”
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