TJ Dillashaw disclosed details of Khamzat Chimaev's weight cut for his fight with Sean Strickland, stating Chimaev was vomiting green bile and near death. According to Dillashaw, Chimaev's team sidelined strength and conditioning coach Sam Calavitta during the final weight cut phase and hired a different specialist who mismanaged water intake. Chimaev drank only a quarter of the required water and cut four times more weight than planned in one session, nearly forcing him to forfeit the fight. The situation was complicated by Chimaev having only half a thyroid, which slows his metabolism significantly.
Former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw has revealed that middleweight contender Khamzat Chimaev came dangerously close to being pulled from his fight against Sean Strickland, describing a weight cut so severe that Chimaev was vomiting green bile and, in Dillashaw's words, near death.
Dillashaw, a 40-year-old veteran with an 18-5 professional record, disclosed that Chimaev's team made a critical decision during the final phase of the cut, sidelining renowned strength and conditioning coach Sam Calavitta and bringing in a different specialist. That replacement allegedly mismanaged Chimaev's water intake, with the fighter consuming only a quarter of the required amount while cutting four times more weight than originally planned in a single session. The situation nearly forced Chimaev to withdraw from the bout entirely.
Dillashaw also revealed a significant underlying factor: Chimaev has only half a thyroid, a condition that meaningfully slows his metabolism and compounds the difficulty of any serious weight cut.
Chimaev, 32, enters the fight as the number-one ranked middleweight and sits at number ten in the pound-for-pound rankings. The fighter representing the United Arab Emirates carries a 15-1 record and trains out of Allstars Training Center. He is one of the more physically dominant fighters in the division, averaging 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes and landing 60 percent of his significant strikes.
He faces Sean Strickland, the reigning middleweight champion. Strickland, 35, holds a 31-7 record and fights out of Xtreme Couture. The American is known for relentless output, landing 6.04 significant strikes per minute, and carries a 76-inch reach at six-foot-one.
Why it matters
- Chimaev's weight cut crisis raises serious questions about the physical toll of competing at middleweight for a fighter managing a thyroid condition
- The removal of Sam Calavitta from the cut process, and the consequences that followed, points to a breakdown in Chimaev's fight camp preparation
- With Chimaev ranked number one and challenging for the middleweight title, any lingering health concerns from the weight cut could carry implications for his performance
