Khamzat Chimaev’s camp says the former UFC middleweight champion battled serious weight-cut issues before his split decision loss to Sean Strickland in the main event of UFC 328, and they are now pushing for an immediate rematch.
Artur Chimaev detailed the problems his fighter faced trying to make 185 pounds for his first title defense, saying the cut took a dangerous turn late in the process. "There was a problem with the weight cut," he said.
"The question became whether to cancel the fight or take the risk. When there was [2.7 pounds] left, his body shut down... Oxygen deprivation. His body malfunctioned. We had to stop for an hour because his health wouldn’t allow him to continue... Khamzat himself said he didn’t know how he;d fight in that condition."
Artur added that there had originally been plans for Chimaev to compete at light heavyweight. "There was an agreement with the UFC that he would fight Jiri Prochazka at 205. The contract was already prepared, but then they asked him to fight Sean instead... so he accepted and decided to cut from [231 pounds] down to [185 pounds]. By fight time he had only regained around [11-13 pounds]... Two weeks before the fight he weighed [214 pounds]."
Now, the focus from Chimaev’s side is clear. "We’ve requested a rematch with Strickland," Artur said. "There’s an event in Abu Dhabi in October and we want to do it there."
"Khamzat isn’t the type of person to move to another weight class and leave unanswered questions behind. We want the second fight. Right now we have no other goals."
