T.J. Dillashaw disclosed shocking details about Khamzat Chimaev's weight cut before facing Sean Strickland after speaking with nutritionist Sam Calavitta. Chimaev trusted the wrong people near the end of his camp and drank only one-quarter of the required water, vomiting green bile and reaching the brink of death. Complications arose because Chimaev has only half a thyroid gland, slowing his metabolism. Dillashaw noted Chimaev approached fight week 16 pounds over the limit but blamed improper water loading managed by a different advisor. Despite the ordeal, Chimaev nearly offered Strickland a million dollars to cancel the bout but ultimately fought through the condition.
Former UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw has revealed that Khamzat Chimaev came perilously close to death during his weight cut ahead of the middleweight title fight against Sean Strickland, sharing details he said came from nutritionist Sam Calavitta.
Dillashaw described a catastrophic breakdown in Chimaev's cut protocol after the fighter placed trust in a different advisor near the end of camp. According to the account, Chimaev consumed only a quarter of the water required for proper loading, leaving him severely compromised. He was reportedly vomiting green bile and in a condition so critical that he considered offering Strickland a million dollars to call off the fight. Despite all of that, Chimaev went ahead and competed.
A key complication, Dillashaw noted, was that Chimaev has only half a functioning thyroid gland, which significantly slows his metabolism and makes aggressive water manipulation far more dangerous than it would be for most athletes. Chimaev reportedly entered fight week sixteen pounds above the limit, and the flawed water-loading strategy managed by the outside advisor turned what might have been a difficult cut into a life-threatening ordeal.
Chimaev, known as "Borz," carries a 15-1 record and holds the number-one ranking in the middleweight division at 32 years old. Fighting out of Allstars Training Center, the UAE-based contender lands 4.04 significant strikes per minute at a 60 percent accuracy rate and averages an exceptional 5.29 takedowns per fifteen minutes, making him one of the most complete threats in the division.
Strickland, the reigning middleweight champion, holds a 31-7 record and brings relentless forward pressure to every bout, averaging 6.04 significant strikes landed per minute. The 35-year-old from the United States trains at Xtreme Couture and owns a six-foot-one frame with a 76-inch reach.
Why it matters
- The disclosure raises serious questions about fighter safety protocols during weight cuts at the elite level
- Chimaev's thyroid condition adds a layer of medical complexity that could affect how future camps and cuts are managed
- The account, if accurate, casts the lead-up to a top middleweight title fight in a dramatically different light, with the number-one contender nearly unable to compete
