Shamil Gaziev reported weighing 140 kilograms before starting his training camp. Recent photos show his weight has dropped to 119.85 kilograms as he prepares for UFC Perth. The heavyweight limit is 120 kilograms, meaning Gaziev is already slightly under the championship weight. This significant weight cut during camp demonstrates the preparation heavyweight fighters undergo despite common assumptions. No concerns about making weight appear evident from the report.
Shamil Gaziev has shed a remarkable amount of weight during his training camp ahead of UFC Perth, arriving at near-championship weight well before fight week even begins.
The Bahraini heavyweight revealed he entered camp weighing 140 kilograms. Recent photos circulating online show that figure has already dropped to 119.85 kilograms — just under the 120-kilogram heavyweight limit. That means Gaziev has trimmed more than 20 kilograms through the training process alone, and is effectively already at weight with time to spare.
Gaziev, 36, competes out of KHK MMA and holds a professional record of 14-3-0. Currently ranked eleventh in the heavyweight division, the six-foot-four orthodox fighter carries a 78-inch reach and lands 2.62 significant strikes per minute at a 47 percent accuracy rate. He also averages 0.93 takedowns per 15 minutes, making him a credible threat in multiple areas of the fight game.
Why it matters
- Heavyweight fighters are often assumed to walk into camp close to fight weight, but Gaziev's camp drop of over 20 kilograms challenges that notion.
- Arriving under the 120-kilogram limit this early removes any weight-making uncertainty heading into UFC Perth.
- A leaner, well-conditioned Gaziev at his ranked position of eleventh could have real implications for divisional movement depending on his performance.
