TJ Dillashaw disclosed that Khamzat Chimaev's weight cut for the Strickland fight became dangerously mismanaged when his team replaced Sam Calavitta with another specialist late in camp. Chimaev drank only a quarter of the required water intake, cut four times more weight than planned in one session, and vomited green bile while nearing death during the cut. The complications were exacerbated by Chimaev having only half a thyroid, which slows his metabolism by half and makes weight management more critical.
Former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw has revealed alarming details about the weight cut Khamzat Chimaev endured ahead of his middleweight title fight against Sean Strickland, describing a process that came dangerously close to costing Chimaev his life.
Dillashaw disclosed that Chimaev's camp made a critical late change, replacing weight-cut specialist Sam Calavitta with another practitioner during the final stages of preparation. The switch proved catastrophic. According to Dillashaw, Chimaev consumed only a quarter of his required water intake and ended up cutting four times more weight than originally planned in a single session. At one point, Chimaev was vomiting green bile as his condition deteriorated to a life-threatening level.
Compounding the crisis, Dillashaw noted that Chimaev is working with only half a functioning thyroid gland. That condition effectively halves his metabolic rate, making precise weight management far more consequential for him than for most fighters.
Chimaev, 32, enters the fight ranked first in the middleweight division and tenth on the pound-for-pound list. The UAE-based Allstars Training Center product carries a 15-1 record and brings elite grappling credentials, averaging 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes alongside a striking accuracy of 60 percent.
He faces Strickland, 35, the reigning middleweight champion. Fighting out of Xtreme Couture, Strickland holds a 31-7 record and is one of the division's most active strikers, landing 6.04 significant strikes per minute. He stands six-foot-one with a 76-inch reach.
Why it matters
- A severely compromised weight cut can leave a fighter weakened well beyond weigh-ins, affecting strength, cardio, and cognitive sharpness on fight night.
- Chimaev's thyroid condition adds a medical dimension that raises questions about the long-term sustainability of competing at middleweight.
- The late replacement of Calavitta, a widely respected weight-cut specialist, points to a structural breakdown in camp management during a title-fight preparation.
