Arthur Chimaev, brother of Khamzat Chimaev, revealed in an interview with Vadim Tikhomirov that Khamzat nearly lost consciousness during his weight cut for UFC 328. The fighter had to stop the cut for an hour when his body shut down with only 1.2 kg remaining. Khamzat weighed 105 kg two weeks before the fight, having prepared for a light heavyweight bout with Jiri Prochazka, before agreeing to face Sean Strickland at middleweight instead. By fight night, Chimaev had only regained 5-6 kg after the weigh-in, and his brother stated the body never fully recovered, which became evident in the second round. The team has now requested a rematch with Strickland for October in Abu Dhabi.
Arthur Chimaev, brother of UFC middleweight contender Khamzat Chimaev, has revealed that Khamzat came dangerously close to losing consciousness during his weight cut ahead of UFC 328 on May 9, details that shed new light on the fighter's performance against Sean Strickland.
Speaking in an interview with Vadim Tikhomirov, Arthur described a harrowing cut that forced the team to halt the process for a full hour after Khamzat's body essentially shut down with 1.2 kilograms still to shed. The situation was made significantly worse by the late change in opponent. Khamzat, who carries the nickname "Borz" and holds a 15-1-0 record as the number-one ranked middleweight in the world, had been preparing for a light heavyweight clash with Jiri Prochazka and was sitting at 105 kilograms just two weeks before the event. The pivot to face Strickland at middleweight left the team scrambling to cut an extreme amount of weight in a compressed timeframe.
Arthur stated that by fight night, Khamzat had only recovered five to six kilograms following the weigh-in, and that his body never fully bounced back from the ordeal. According to Arthur, the physical toll became visibly apparent in the second round of the fight.
Strickland, who holds the middleweight championship at 31-7-0 and is known for a relentless output of 6.04 significant strikes per minute, represented one of the division's most demanding stylistic challenges even for a fully prepared opponent. Prochazka, the man originally scheduled to face Chimaev, holds a 32-6-1 record and is ranked second at light heavyweight.
Why it matters
- Chimaev entered the fight severely compromised by a late weight class change, raising questions about the result's legitimacy as a measure of his abilities.
- The Chimaev camp has formally requested a rematch with Strickland for October in Abu Dhabi, which would carry major title implications at middleweight.
- The episode renews broader conversations about weight cutting safety in MMA and the risks of last-minute opponent swaps across divisions.
Saturday, May 9, 2026
