TJ Dillashaw disclosed details about Khamzat Chimaev's weight cut before the Sean Strickland fight, stating Chimaev was vomiting green bile and near death. Dillashaw explained that Chimaev's team disregarded nutritionist Sam Calavitta's water loading protocol during the final stage of the cut, and Chimaev drank only a quarter of the required water while cutting four times the intended amount at once. Chimaev, who has only half a thyroid gland and slower metabolism, approached fight week 16 pounds over the limit but nearly refused to continue the cut.
Former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw has revealed alarming details about the weight cut Khamzat Chimaev endured before his middleweight title fight against Sean Strickland, describing a situation that came close to costing Chimaev his life.
Dillashaw disclosed that Chimaev was vomiting green bile during the final stages of the cut and came dangerously close to refusing to continue the process entirely. According to Dillashaw, the core problem stemmed from Chimaev's team ignoring a water-loading protocol set by nutritionist Sam Calavitta. In the critical final phase, Chimaev consumed only a quarter of the water he was prescribed while attempting to cut four times the intended amount of weight in a single session. He entered fight week sixteen pounds over the limit, a margin that left almost no room for error.
Dillashaw also noted a physiological factor that compounded the danger: Chimaev has only half a thyroid gland, which gives him a slower metabolism and makes large, rapid weight cuts significantly more hazardous than they would be for most fighters.
Chimaev, 32, enters the contest ranked first in the middleweight division and tenth on the pound-for-pound list, carrying a 15-1 record and representing the UAE out of Allstars Training Center. He is a six-foot-two pressure fighter who averages 5.29 takedowns per fifteen minutes alongside a striking accuracy of sixty percent, among the highest in the division.
His opponent, Strickland, is the reigning middleweight champion at 35 years old with a 31-7 record. The American trains out of Xtreme Couture and is known for extraordinary volume, landing 6.04 significant strikes per minute with a seventy-six-inch reach.
Why it matters
- A near-catastrophic weight cut raises serious questions about the medical protocols surrounding Chimaev heading into a championship bout.
- Chimaev's thyroid condition and metabolic challenges may be relevant factors for athletic commissions and medical staff overseeing the fight.
- Any residual physical damage from the cut could affect his performance against a high-volume striker in Strickland.
