"He should be at 185"- Stephen Thompson takes issue with Khamzat Chimaev staying at welterweight even after a huge weight miss

Stephen Thompson questions whether Khamzat Chimaev can make the welterweight limit again.

Chimaev received backlash after missing the welterweight limit by 7.5 pounds for his UFC 279 matchup against Nate Diaz, leading to the top three fights being shuffled. The MMA community wondered if 'Borz' would move to middleweight to prevent another weight miss, but he seemed motivated to stay at 170 pounds.

During an interview with James Lynch, 'WonderBoy' had this to say about Chimaev staying at welterweight:

"From what I hear, he's a very strong welterweight. He should be at 185. I don't even understand why he's still at 170. I know they are trying to get him to fight Colby Covington, which I think is gonna be a fun fight. That's gonna be a fun fight. Somebody who's as strong as a wrestler as Khamzat. The thing is, is he gonna make weight? Can he make weight?

Chimaev ended up dominating his new opponent Kevin Holland at UFC 279. After an impressively short retirement, Holland will fight 'Wonder Boy' at UFC Orlando on December 3.

Kevin Holland declares he's "retired before 30" after he "got paid" to fight Khamzat Chimaev. 👀 https://t.co/nCksjC3AqU

Watch Stephen Thompson discuss Khamzat Chimaev and Kevin Holland below:

Stephen Thompson reacts to Khamzat Chimaev vs. Kevin Holland

Going into their fight at UFC Orlando, Stephen Thompson isn't underestimating Holland after his last performance. During the same interview, 'Wonder Boy' had this to say about the UFC 279 co-main event:

"Don't take anything away from Kevin Holland after that fight. I mean, it was a days notice. Fighting someone as big and strong and wrestling savvy as Chimaev. I thought he held his own right there in the first round. A lot of crazy scrambles. He's very scrappy on the ground. He really is, Kevin is. Which was kinda messed up, he goes in to give him a high five and he [Chimaev] shoots right in for the legs. Ends up taking him down. I'm like, oh, come on, man. Shoulda just gave the guy a high five."

Holland is currently unranked at welterweight, but a win against the number seven-ranked 'Wonder Boy' would likely put him in the top ten. Regardless of who wins, it's exciting to see 'TrailBlazer' and Thompson matched up against a high-level welterweight willing to keep the fight standing.

#UFCOrlando is stacked!!
(Bout order per ESPN-h/t @omgitsfeely) https://t.co/LM3sm4DpHh