Artur Chimaev provided extensive details about his brother Khamzat's weight cut for UFC 328 in an interview. When 1.2 kg remained, Khamzat's body shut down due to oxygen deprivation, requiring hour-long breaks, though they ultimately completed the cut. Khamzat nearly lost consciousness during the process. He had been promised a fight with Jiri Prochazka at light heavyweight but accepted the Strickland fight on short notice, cutting from 105 kg to 84 kg. Two weeks before the fight he weighed 97 kg, but had reached 105 kg by March 13. After weigh-ins, he only regained 5-6 kg before the fight, and Artur noted Khamzat's body never fully recovered, becoming obvious in the second round. They have requested a rematch with Strickland for October in Abu Dhabi.
Khamzat Chimaev's older brother Artur has spoken at length about the severe weight cut and health emergency Khamzat endured ahead of his fight at UFC 328 on May 9, painting a troubling picture of what the middleweight contender put his body through to make the 185-pound limit.
Artur revealed that with 1.2 kg still to shed, Khamzat's body effectively shut down due to oxygen deprivation, forcing the team to take hour-long breaks before continuing. Khamzat came close to losing consciousness during the process. They ultimately completed the cut, but Artur noted his brother's body never fully recovered, something he said became clearly visible in the second round of the fight.
The circumstances surrounding the bout added further strain. Khamzat, ranked first at middleweight and tenth pound-for-pound at 32 years old, had originally been promised a light heavyweight contest against Jiri Prochazka. Instead, he accepted the fight against middleweight champion Sean Strickland on short notice, cutting from a reported 105 kg down to 84 kg. Two weeks out, he still weighed 97 kg, and had reached his peak of 105 kg as recently as March 13. After making weight, he managed to rehydrate only 5 to 6 kg before stepping into the cage.
Strickland, 35, holds a 31-7-0 record and carries the middleweight title into every defense. Fighting out of Xtreme Couture, he lands 6.04 significant strikes per minute and brings a 76-inch reach to the pocket. Chimaev, by contrast, is one of the division's most dangerous wrestlers, averaging 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes alongside a 60 percent striking accuracy mark across his 15-1-0 career.
Why it matters
- Chimaev accepted the fight on short notice and cut roughly 21 kg, raising serious questions about the physical cost of late-notice weight manipulation
- His team has already requested a rematch against Strickland, targeting October in Abu Dhabi
- The originally planned Prochazka matchup at light heavyweight remains unresolved, leaving divisional planning at 205 pounds uncertain as well
Saturday, May 9, 2026
