After Khamzat Chimaev came in weighing 7.5 pounds over the limit for his main event bout against Nate Diaz, it was a difficult task for the UFC 279 organization to keep the event afloat and continue as planned.
To make matters even worse, Chimaev shown no remorse at the scales but rather laughed and made rude gestures at the crowd while he missed weight. This made the situation even more embarrassing.
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The UFC was forced to perform a big reshuffling of the event because numerous other fighters on the card were unable to control the weight of their opponents. This led to additional turmoil. Chimaev was relegated to the role of co-main event opponent against Kevin Holland when Diaz was given the opportunity to team up with Tony Ferguson.
Despite the fact that the Chechen-born UAE citizen missed the weight cut, which resulted in him missing out on the opportunity to headline his very first pay-per-view event, many people were of the opinion that the fighter’s unprofessional behavior justified harsher consequences.
It would appear that UFC superstar Conor McGregor was one of the individuals who were incensed by the fighter’s failure to make weight. The Irishman posted the following on X (formerly known as Twitter):
In my opinion, they made a mistake by leaving Khamzat on the card in any capacity. Reconfiguring the bouts so that the failed cutter has a better chance of winning will only encourage many of the other players to behave in the same manner. The grins on the scale were sufficient for my purposes. If you take from the card, you will go hungry. The McG UFC”
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At UFC 294, which will take place at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, Khamzat Chimaev is slated to compete against Kamaru Usman, a former champion at welterweight. The lightweight championship fight between Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski will be the highlight of the evening’s festivities.
How Conor McGregor inspired Khamzat Chimaev to pursue MMA
Many people have been motivated to start training in mixed martial arts as a result of Conor McGregor’s success in the sport. Surprisingly, one of the many talented individuals that the Irishman encouraged to pursue their dreams is the highly acclaimed Khamzat Chimaev.
During an interview with ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, ‘Borz’ said that the spectacular knockout that Conor McGregor scored with one punch against Jose Aldo was the impetus for him to pursue a career in mixed martial arts (MMA). In his words:
“As I look on, I watch that man [McGregor] knock down Aldo. I was thinking to myself, “If that guy did that, s**t, then why I’m not going to do it,” and that was my motivation for not doing it. I have a greater mental fortitude than he has, and my physical stature is superior to his. At that moment, I had the sensation that [if I encountered] him outside, I could defeat him, do you know what I mean? If he can make that much money, then why can’t I?
