TJ Dillashaw revealed shocking details about Khamzat Chimaev's weight cut for the Sean Strickland fight after speaking with Sam Calavitta. Chimaev trusted the wrong people at the end of his camp and only drank one quarter of the required water. He was vomiting green bile and was on the brink of death, with complications from having only half a thyroid gland. The incorrect water loading protocol caused him to cut four times more weight than necessary at once, and he considered paying Strickland $1 million to abandon the fight.
New details have emerged about a weight cut for Khamzat Chimaev that reportedly pushed the middleweight contender to the edge of death ahead of his fight with Sean Strickland. Former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw revealed the account after speaking with renowned strength and conditioning coach Sam Calavitta.
According to Dillashaw, Chimaev's camp made critical errors in the final stages of his weight cut. He consumed only one quarter of the water required during his loading protocol, and the resulting miscalculation forced him to shed four times more weight than necessary in a single session. The ordeal left Chimaev vomiting green bile, and the situation was further complicated by the fact that he has only half a thyroid gland. Dillashaw described the fighter as being on the brink of death. The situation reportedly grew so dire that Chimaev considered paying Strickland one million dollars to walk away from the bout entirely.
Chimaev, 30 — wait, 32 — fighting out of the UAE under the Allstars Training Center banner, entered the contest as the number one ranked middleweight in the UFC and sits tenth in the pound-for-pound rankings. He carries a record of 15-1 and is one of the division's most dangerous finishers, averaging 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes and connecting on 60 percent of his significant strikes.
Strickland, the reigning middleweight champion, is 35 years old and represents Xtreme Couture out of the United States. The six-foot-one fighter holds a 31-7 record and is known for relentless output, landing 6.04 significant strikes per minute with a 76-inch reach that helps him control distance and dictate pace.
Why it matters
- Chimaev's weight cut crisis raises serious questions about camp management and fighter safety protocols at the elite level
- A fighter of Chimaev's ranking — number one at middleweight and top ten pound-for-pound — contemplating paying an opponent to withdraw signals how severe the situation was
- The disclosure adds context to one of the division's most anticipated matchups and may renew broader debate around weight cutting regulation in the UFC
