"I lost a lot of respect for him"- Josh Thomson and 'Big' John McCarthy talk about the controversial weight miss by Khamzat Chimaev which lead to a major change at UFC 279
Khamzat Chimaev had one of the most controversial fight weeks in recent memory leading up to UFC 279. The rough week was marred by the No.3-ranked welterweight missing weight, which drew the ire of Weighing In co-hosts Josh Thomson and John McCarthy.
Khamzat Chimaev flipped off the crowd after being showered with boos 🗣 #UFC279 https://t.co/kbldRiwk6z
Khamzat Chimaev was part of an altercation with Paulo Costa at the UFC P.I., and a backstage brawl with Nate Diaz and Kevin Holland, that forced the cancelation of the press conference, angering UFC President Dana White.
The most controversial moment, however, was when he missed weight by a whopping 7.5 pounds. This put the main card in jeopardy, but the UFC was able to save the event by switching opponents.
Chimaev entered UFC 279 with a chance to fight one of the most popular fighters in UFC history in what is likely his last fight with the promotion. The matchup seemed like one that highly favored 'Borz', however, he ended up missing weight and fighting Holland instead. While his performance was dominant, it was not what fans and analysts were discussing in the aftermath of his week.
Speaking on their Weighing In podcast, Josh Thomson and John McCarthy discussed Chimaev missing weight, with Thomson saying:
"He understood he wasn't going to make the weight, he gave up. That's just in bad taste. That's very unprofessional. I lost a lot of respect for him. I was pumped on him early in his career when he first got in the UFC... I was like, 'Okay, this guy, I like what he's doing, got a little flair to him, he's a fun fighter', but it's kind of getting on me now when you show up that much overweight. Is this what we're going to see later on? How do you know he just won't do this?"
John McCarthy interrupted to point out that Chimaev did this while he was fighting in the main event of the card before Thomson continued by adding:
"I've already had people come to me and go, 'Yeah, well Khabib missed weight.' Guys, Khabib still tried to always make weight. You didn't see him get on the scale and start flipping people off... And he was never over by eight and a half pounds or eight pounds. Let's dial that back."
Watch Josh Thomson and John McCarthy's full discussion on Khamzat Chimaev below (starting at the 43:55 mark):
Josh Thomson and John McCarthy break down Khamzat Chimaev vs. Kevin Holland
Khamzat Chimaev looked dominant in his performance against Kevin Holland, submitting his opponent in the first round. Josh Thomson and John McCarthy broke down the matchup in the same episode of Weighing In (starting at the 45:29 mark).
Thomson said:
"I thought it was a good performance though, I can't take it away from him. He came out, did what he had to do, got the win. I think they're going to eventually meet again later on down the road. Kevin Holland has got a lot to offer, he's got to work on his wrestling."
McCarthy responded by asking his co-host if he thinks Holland will attempt to touch gloves again, to which Thomson quickly responded by saying he wouldn't. It came as no surprise as Chimaev landed a controversial takedown as Holland attempted to touch gloves as the fight began.
Real gangsters don’t fake glove touch, pussy. https://t.co/B29d0rv3Xq
For Khamzat Chimaev, who couldn't escape controversy all week, this wasn't the end. Even in his post-fight interview, he found himself riling up the masses, as he compared himself to arguably the greatest boxer ever to live, Muhummad Ali.