Arthur Chimaev provided detailed insight into his brother Khamzat's troubled weight cut for UFC 328. Khamzat had a signed contract to fight Jiri Prochazka at 93kg before UFC contacted him directly about facing Strickland at 84kg. The cut from 105kg to 84kg proved disastrous, with Khamzat experiencing oxygen deprivation and systemic failure when 1.2kg remained. They paused for an hour due to health concerns before completing the cut. Khamzat weighed 97kg two weeks before the fight and approximately 105kg by March 13th. After weigh-ins, he only managed to rehydrate 5-6kg before the bout, explaining his compromised performance. The team has requested a Strickland rematch for October in Abu Dhabi.
Arthur Chimaev has shed light on the severe physical ordeal his brother Khamzat endured while cutting weight for UFC 328, revealing that the middleweight contender came dangerously close to losing consciousness during the process.
According to Arthur, Khamzat originally had a signed contract to compete at 93 kilograms against light heavyweight contender Jiri Prochazka before the UFC intervened and redirected him toward a middleweight title fight against Sean Strickland at 84 kilograms. The resulting cut — from a reported 105 kilograms down to the 84-kilogram limit — pushed Khamzat to his physical limits. When approximately 1.2 kilograms remained, he began experiencing oxygen deprivation and what Arthur described as systemic failure, forcing the camp to halt the process for roughly an hour over health concerns before eventually completing the cut.
The consequences extended well beyond the scale. Khamzat had weighed 97 kilograms two weeks out from fight night and was back up to approximately 105 kilograms by March 13th, yet after making weight he was only able to rehydrate 5 to 6 kilograms before stepping into the cage — a fraction of the recovery most fighters in his position would expect. Arthur cited that compromised rehydration as a direct explanation for Khamzat's performance on fight night.
Khamzat Chimaev, 32, carries a 15-1-0 record and enters the bout ranked first in the middleweight division and tenth pound-for-pound. He is one of the sport's most dominant grapplers, averaging 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes alongside a 60 percent striking accuracy. Strickland, 35, is the reigning middleweight champion at 31-7-0, throwing volume at 6.04 significant strikes per minute with a 76-inch reach.
Why it matters
- The weight cut details raise serious questions about fighter health protocols surrounding drastic division changes arranged late in camp
- Khamzat's team has formally requested a rematch with Strickland, targeting October in Abu Dhabi
- A second fight, potentially with a more manageable weight cut, could significantly alter the competitive dynamic between the two
