"He's weak" - Din Thomas criticizes Khamzat Chimaev, believes 'Borz' is a target after UFC 279 weigh-in debacle
As the UFC 279 card reshuffle unfolded last night, Din Thomas took time to criticize Khamzat Chimaev and believes the elite fighters at welterweight will be targeting him instead of trying to avoid matching up against him.
'Borz' was gifted arguably the perfect matchup to begin his push for true stardom in the sport, but missing weight by such a big margin has taken away that opportunity. The prospect was preparing to face Nate Diaz, an aged superstar who, though he can still take damage, isn't what he used to be.
While discussing the news regarding Khamzat Chimaev and UFC 279, Din Thomas gave his opinion on the undefeated welterweight, insisting that fighters will now view him as "weak" following this ordeal:
"A year ago when everybody saw Chimaev, we said, 'Oh, this is the guy, he's gonna beat everybody.' And all the guys in the top 10 were like, 'Man, I don't want to fight him, I'm staying away from him.' I can tell you right now, all them guys in the top 10, top five are looking at Chimaev like, 'He's weak... All I gotta do is put pressure on him [and] he's gonna break.' We saw how he reacted against Gilbert Burns, we saw that he was human and now he doesn't make weight here... All these guys are looking at him like he's weak and I'm sure that anybody will fight him now."
Although plenty of fighters have failed to make weight for big fights, the 28-year-old has been getting a lot more backlash for how he handled the situation, seemingly laughing, making jokes, and not caring about almost ruining the event.
Check out what Din Thomas had to say about the aftermath of the UFC 279 weigh-ins in the video below:
Did Khamzat Chimaev get punished for missing weight at UFC 279?
While he was taken away from the main event spot and lost his chance to fight against one of the biggest names in the sport, Khamzat Chimaev still managed to land on his feet.
He will now be placed as the co-headliner for UFC 279 against Kevin Holland in a fight he's expected to win.
Victory over 'Trailblazer' won't do nearly as much for Khamzat Chimaev as a win over the Stockton native would have done. However, making quick work of a fan-favorite is a good achievement to put on your record.