Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland both made weight ahead of their UFC middleweight championship bout, but the official weigh-in wasn’t without some controversy.
On Sunday AEST, Chimaev will look to defend his title against contender Strickland, with their five-round main event taking place at New Jersey’s Prudential Center.
The duo clashed during an insane press conference on Friday AEST, with Chimaev at one point kicking his opponent.
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Both fighters hit their target numbers, each weighing in at 185 pounds, although Chimaev left it until the final 20 minutes take the stage. And the Russian fighter’s “dejected” demeanour didn’t go unnoticed.
“Look at his demeanour, he is miserable. He looks so skinny right now,” former UFC champion Daniel Cormier said on the Morning Weigh-In Show.
“He looks pretty dejected, man. He’s hurting.”
Armenian MMA fighter Arman Tsarukyan recently revealed that Chimaev had to cut 21 kilograms to make weight for this weekend’s event, his first title defence, having captured the title from Dricus du Plessis last August.
However, American UFC fighter Bryce Mitchell later alleged in an Instagram post that he doesn’t believe Chimaev actually made weight, claiming the scale was still moving when the announcer declared he was 185 pounds.
“I know what it looks like when somebody makes that weight. They have to stand completely still. The little thingumabob on the scale, it has to balance,” he said.
“That dude didn’t make that weight. There’s no convincing me, bro.
“It’s all bulls***, dude. That is not what it looks like when somebody makes weight.”
Later during the ceremonial weigh-in, Strickland sprayed his opponent in an R-rated rant, calling Chimaev a “cheat” and a “p***y”.
“This f***ing coward tried to f***ing kick me in the nuts (during Friday’s press conference) like a f***ing p***y,” Strickland yelled.
“You’re a f***ing punk b***h. This f***ing b***h didn’t even make weight, you cheating f***.
“F*** you, you son of a w***e, b***h.”
Elsewhere on Saturday AEST, lightweight veteran Jeremy Stephens tipped the scales at 160 pounds, missing the mark for his non-title bout against King Green by four pounds.
In the co-main event, Josh Van will put his flyweight title on the line against unbeaten Japanese contender Tatsuro Taira.
FULL CARD
Main card
Khamzat Chimaev vs Sean Strickland (middleweight title)
Joshua Van vs Tatsuro Taira (flyweight title)
Alexander Volkov vs Waldo Cortes-Acosta (heavyweight)
Sean Brady vs Joaquin Buckley (welterweight)
King Green vs Jeremy Stephens (lightweight)
Prelims
Ateba Gautier vs Ozzy Diaz (middleweight)
Joel Alvarez vs Yaroslav Amosov (welterweight)
Grant Dawson vs Mateusz Rebecki (lightweight)
Jim Miller vs Jared Gordon (lightweight)
Early prelims
Roman Kopylov vs Marco Tulio (middleweight)
Pat Sabatini vs William Gomis (featherweight)
Baisangur Susurkaev vs Djorden Santos (middleweight)
Clayton Carpenter vs Jose Ochoa (flyweight)
Originally published as ‘Cheating f***’: Drama erupts over ugly UFC weigh-in claim
