"Y'all forget about when Aspen Ladd bout fainted on the scale and they still was gonna let her fight?" - UFC fighters don't believe Khamzat Chimaev missed weight because of doctor's instruction
Khamzat Chimaev came in at 7.5 lbs over the welterweight non-title limit of 171lbs for the UFC 279 weigh-ins. According to UFC president Dana White, doctors who were sent in to check on Chimaev's weight cut advised 'Borz' to stop cutting weight.
The entire card was reshuffled, and Chimaev ended up in a co-main event catchweight clash of 180 lbs against Kevin Holland. After a dominant first-round submission win over Holland, 'Borz' hinted that the doctors were to be held responsible for stopping him from cutting weight.
Several pro fighters are not buying the story of Khamzat Chimaev missing weight due to instructions from doctors. Former UFC welterweight Ben Askren noted that he never had a doctor check on him during a weight cut. UFC featherweight Chase Hooper opined that 'Borz' might have intentionally called for a doctor and hinted that his weight cut was going bad.
I’ve never even talked to a doctor during a weight cut, where do they come from? twitter.com/chase_hooper/s…
Former UFC heavyweight Corey Anderson revisited the time when UFC women's bantamweight Aspen Ladd was allowed to fight Germaine de Randamie in 2019 despite a downright scary weight cut. Anderson noted:
"If you really believe the "Dr told Khamzat to stop cutting weight cuz he was cramping" gimmick. You 1. NEVER cut weight. 2. Will believe anything Dana says. Yall forget about when Aspen Ladd bout fainted on the scale and they still was gonna let her fight?#ufc279"
If you really believe the "Dr told Khamzat to stop cutting weight cuz he was cramping" gimmick. You 1. NEVER cut weight. 2. Will believe anything Dana says. Yall forget about when Aspen Ladd bout fainted on the scale and they still was gonna let her fight?#ufc279
Bc the Doctor aren't around during weight cut THEIR NOT EVEN AT THE HOTEL!! YOU or YOUR TEAM have to call the Dr. I've had a guy crapping and puking blood to make weight and the Dr. didn't come by until he was admitted in the ER cuz he couldnt function AT ALL.... twitter.com/Benaskren/stat…
In 50 plus fights.....I've had a doctor check on my weight cut 🤔 but, hey there's a first time for everything I guess 🤷♂️ #UFC279
Dana White claims to have sent in a doctor after Khamzat Chimaev showed signs of a bad weight cut
Khamzat Chimaev appeared to have no regrets missing weight by 7.5 lbs at UFC 279. The Chechen-born Swede prospect even flipped off the audience as they booed while Joe Rogan was interviewing him. Fans have even accused Dana White of scripting the entire UFC 279 fiasco to try and sell a relatively underwhelming card.
Explaining Khamzat Chimaev's weight miss, White claimed that 'Borz' was looking lean enough a day before the weigh-ins and ran into issues after he started cutting further. According to the UFC boss, unlike a decade ago, the promotion now sends in a doctor for a fighter who is having a bad weight cut. The 53-year-old told SportsCenter:
"So what happened was, he was cutting weight. If you saw him yesterday, he was very, very lean already and he should’ve come in on weight. He started to cut weight and he started locking up and cramping, all the things that happen from a bad cut. Unlike ten years ago, when we were doing this, they call in and we send a doctor up and the doctor determines whether he should keep cutting weight or not. And the doctor told him he shouldn’t. So we jumped on this [issue] this morning."
Watch the clip below: