The Chechen star’s surge in the rankings may have hit its first roadblock at UFC 279
Khamzat Chimeav was on course for the biggest victory of his career at UFC 279 in Las Vegas last weekend, but missing weight on the eve of his contest with Nate Diaz saw him stripped of the main event, called a “scared rookie”, and drew considerable ire from UFC President Dana White.
The Chechen-born fighter finally turned in another dominating performance in a short-notice substitute fight, improving his unbeaten record to 12-0, but the deviation from the UFC script may well leave Chimaev with work to do to do to regain his momentum – and the UFC’s faith in him.
What exactly happened?
The UFC and Dana White had set the stage for Khamzat Chimaev to triumph in his pay-per-view main event debut, with promotion veteran Nate Diaz as the sacrificial lamb walking out the door of out as he searches for new pastures.
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UFC boss details Chimaev’s weight-cut issues Chimaev was an overwhelming favorite heading into the fight with Stockton’s Diaz and had to mow down his biggest named opponent on what was arguably the Chechen-born Swede’s biggest platform to date.
This was not to be the case.
Chimaev came in heavy on the scales by a mammoth 7.5lbs on the eve of the fight, while ensuring his showdown with Diaz would be dropped and prompted the UFC to rush to save the event in the eleventh hour.
Chimaev, 28, later explained that doctors informed him to stop his weight reduction at 4 a.m. local time, with White later telling the media that Chimaev had started displaying health issues then. that he was trying to lower the welterweight limit.
Chimaev, however, maintains that he would have made the contracted weight if he had not been ordered to stop by the doctors.
How did the scenes affect the UFC 279 fight card?
Diaz was instead placed in a fight with fellow veteran Tony Ferguson in the hastily-arranged new headliner, while Chimaev was moved into a 180-pound catchweight contest with Kevin Holland – a fighter with whom Chimaev got involved in a fracas two days before UFC 279, which forced the cancellation of the pre-fight press conference.
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UFC star Chimaev demolishes his latest opponent (VIDEO) Chimaev’s lack of weight carried over to other fights as well, with China’s Li Jingliang – who was Ferguson’s initial opponent – being placed in a catchweight contest with scheduled foe Netherlands instead. Down, Daniel Rodriguez, despite ‘The Leech’ weighing 10 pounds less than ‘D-Fishing Rod’.
Any other effects that Chimaev’s lack of weight may or may not have will be revealed in time, such as whether or not the UFC hit its planned sell-out rate for the pay-per-view event, which had been heavily marketed around the Chimaev’s confrontation with Nate. Diaz.
Ultimately though, the Diaz vs. Ferguson clash was celebrated as a worthy replacement bout between two sporting icons, while Chimaev easily beat Holland via first-round submission – but he didn’t quite got the “name” on his record that he or many of his fans would have liked.
What did Chimaev say about the fiasco?
Chimaev was largely unrepentant about his 7.5 pounds overweight which forced the UFC into an unenviable and unexpected set of circumstances.
He was greeted by a cacophony of mockery at the weigh-in ceremony on Friday night – the first time Chimaev, who has been riding a wave of enthusiasm since his UFC debut just over two years ago, met with considerable pushback from the legions of UFC supporters.
He responded to the boos by flashing his middle finger in the general direction of displeasure – and made it clear in the post-fight presser that he was completely indifferent to the reaction from fight fans.
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UFC cancels press event after Chechen star involved in backstage brawls (VIDEO) “You care about that shit? I do not care ,” he said.
“I care about my family. I care about my career. I care about my money.
“So what now? People don’t leave me. One day they are with me, one day they are not with me.
“So I’m real, guys added Chimaev. “I like people who are real. No fake people going one way or the other. ”
He also doubled down on his immediate post-fight comments.
“Hey now say something “, He said sternly to Joe Rogan, amid boos from sections of the Vegas crowd.
“He’s the motherfucker from Chechnya. I’m the most dangerous guy here, I have guns for everyone, I’ll kill everyone.
“I don’t care about this shit [the weight miss], I would kill this guy, I would go through everyone. Let ’em down, I’ll give it to both guys, I’ll fight them both.
“No one can stop me; if I die, I die in the cage. I didn’t come here to make my weight but I did my best. I will die in the cage, I will never leave the cage, this is my home .”
What did the other fighters say?
There are fighters you can miss weight against and they won’t say anything. Nate Diaz is not one of those fighters.
Speaking moments after facing new opponent Tony Ferguson, whom Diaz clearly respects, the Californian let go of Chimaev for allegedly being ‘scared’ to fight him.
“Tony’s been here a long time, we should have fought a long time ago “, Diaz said.
“Khabib’s b***ha** was scared of him just like that b***ha**enf**ker was scared of me yesterday. We punked his b***ha** in the back here and now he’s not making weight.
“You already know what it is. Real [gangsters] I’m from California, America, damn it .”
Chimaev was more excited than ever for his contest. © Jeff Bottari / Zuffa LLC
Diaz continued to rail against Chimaev in his post-fight press conference after beating Ferguson in the new main event, calling him “lame, scared, boring recruit.
“But I thought that motherfucker was scared. He got screwed, he got scared at the press conference. I knew it was gonna happen .
Elsewhere, welterweight contender Belal Muhammad wrote that Chimaev is “young and dumb but he knows how to fight while fellow UFC fighter Adrian Yanez berated Chimaev for his indiscretion on the scale.
“Gotta get some weight dude “, he wrote online.
What does this mean for Chimaev moving forward?
The Khamzat Chimaev hype train took a slight detour at UFC 279, no doubt about it, but the ease with which he got rid of Kevin Holland in the event’s new co-main event showed that his skills remain a significant threat to fighters in two separate weight classes.
White had previously stated that Chimaev would earn a welterweight title with a win over Diaz, but one would assume those plans were somewhat delayed, given White’s apparent annoyance at Chimaev’s perceived lack of professionalism.
READ MORE: Chechen UFC star takes on Brazilian rival in gym (VIDEO)
UFC boss doesn’t like fighters who are underweight; let alone the fighters who miss weight and cut short UFC promotional plans on the eve of a high-profile event.
The fighters were released from the UFC for less, but Chimaev’s status in the organization is not in jeopardy – although whether or not he is allowed to continue in the welterweight division is something to watch.
“It is a problem White said of Chimaev after UFC 279.
“It’s a problem that he missed weight. I do not know. We have to examine it and understand it. What makes sense is that he fights at [185lbs]so we’ll see .”
Who will he fight next?
That’s the million dollar question. As noted, Chimaev was in contention for a welterweight title with a win over Diaz (and especially after beating former contender Gilbert Burns in a classic showdown in April), but it remains to be seen what kind of currency l UFC sees in a win over Holland.
Additionally, Leon Edwards’ recent welterweight title win will likely result in an immediate rematch for former champion Kamaru Usman – which would likely delay any Chimaev title until next summer or so.
Of course, another avenue to curry favor with UFC fans would be a fight with promotional heel Colby Covington.
It would make sense from a rankings perspective and pit two of the best wrestlers in the division against each other, but Chimaev’s issues on the scale will have given Covington a built-in excuse to distance himself from the challenge.
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‘Stupid American bullsh*t boy’: UFC contender Chimaev destroys Colby Covington as US star prepares for Octagon return Covington’s own schedule remains uncertain amid reports that he will not fight until his legal dispute with rival Jorge Masvidal is resolved, following their March clash outside a Miami steakhouse in which Masvidal has was charged with aggravated bodily harm and criminal mischief.
Chimaev said he would fight former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar if that was the challenge presented to him, but facing tests at both welterweight and middleweight, Chimaev says he will pursue the road to gold that seems the quickest.
“I’ll take another fight, and we’ll see what happens “, he said last week of his potential next move.
“Maybe Israel Adesanya or the other guy, [Alex] Pereira. Who wins this, maybe fight with them. I don’t know .”
But if he does fight Usman next, Chimaev is confident he will rise to the welterweight icon’s challenge.
“If it happens, it will be a great fight “, he predicted.
“Everybody wants to see this fight, because he’s almost the same kind of fighter as me. Good wrestling, good boxing, but his grappling is terrible. Leon Edwards knocked him down, taking his back. If I take his back, I squeeze his head. Everybody wanna see this fight .”
Everyone, with the potential exception of Dana White depending on how long Chimaev remains sequestered in his bad graces.
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