"I don't think he tried" - Belal Muhammad claims lack of respect for Nate Diaz caused Khamzat Chimaev's massive weight miss at UFC 279

Belal Muhammad, who has not been shy about calling out Khamzat Chimaev, recently shared that he believes the No.3-ranked welterweight did not try to make weight at UFC 279.

Speaking on the Jibber with Jaber podcast, Muhammad shared that he believes Chimaev's lack of respect for Nate Diaz led to his drastic weight miss:

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"I don't think he tried. You can sit there and say it was a doctor or somebody stopped him. There ain't no doctor that's gonna knock on your door the day before unless you're calling them and you're telling them, 'We have an issue', but you're nine pounds off, that's a lot."

Muhammad continued about how Chimaev's wasn't interested in doing the extra work for the Nate Diaz fight:

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"Eight pounds away, his fat self is probably freaking eating a snickers bar talking about, 'I don't feel like doing it'. Obviously, I don't think he respected Nate Diaz enough to do the extra work of 'I need to go run, I need to go train'. For me, it's like I'm respecting my opponent no matter who it is."

While it is unlikely that Chimaev will confirm Muhammad's allegations regarding Diaz, missing weight by nearly eight pounds at UFC 279 has definitely impacted his career in a negative way. Not only has it potentially delayed his welterweight title opportunity, but he now seems destined for a move to the middleweight division. Another drastic weight miss could expedite Chimaev's departure from the welterweight division.

Watch Belal Muhammad discuss Khamzat Chimaev's weight miss below (starting at the 14:02 mark):

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Belal Muhammad and Khamzat Chimaev's back and forth

Belal Muhammad and Khamzat Chimaev have previously exchanged words on Twitter, with Muhammad calling out his fellow welterweight for targeting opponents who aren't in title contention.

Belal Muhammad

@bullyb170

Stop picking on guys who don’t want to fight you .. only two fighters in the top 5 that haven’t fought Kamaru winner gets next . @danawhite @seanshelby twitter.com/KChimaev/statu…

Khamzat Chimaev

@KChimaev

BORZ 🤠
@NateDiaz209
@GamebredFighter
@TheNotoriousMMA

1204

68

BORZ 🤠
@NateDiaz209 💀
@GamebredFighter 💀
@TheNotoriousMMA 💀 https://t.co/DLjZYIYCXQ

Stop picking on guys who don’t want to fight you .. only two fighters in the top 5 that haven’t fought Kamaru winner gets next . @danawhite @seanshelby twitter.com/KChimaev/statu… https://t.co/cUZmDaV9Ri

Chimaev responded by stating that he would take the fight under the condition that Muhammad doesn't bring the Palestinian flag for his walk out.

Khamzat Chimaev

@KChimaev

I will fight you if you don't take the Palestinian flag into battle @bullyb170 🏼

8725

624

I will fight you if you don't take the Palestinian flag into battle @bullyb170 ☝🏼

With the UFC's recent ban on carrying national flags, this should no longer be an issue. The two welterweights seem destined to meet as both fighters have not suffered a loss in several years. On one of his podcast episodes, bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling said that Belal Muhammad is the opponent with the best chance of defeating Chimaev:

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"I see a guy like Belal Muhammad who may not be the strongest grappler, but he's a strong built dude who uses a grinding style to press you against the cage to neutralize your position, beat you up with knees, and if he can get the submission, he'll get the submission. I think it's going to take a guy like that for Chimaev to run into that's going to be his equal."

Watch Aljamain Sterling's comments on Belal Muhammad and Khamzat Chimaev below (starting at the 4:45 mark):

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