UFC 319 is coming closer and closer, and we’re finally done with the weigh-ins. Besides the fact that Dricus du Plessis made championship weight, Khamzat Chimaev did better than him, dropping down to a couple of pounds below the limit. This is a great sign that the weight cut issues are in the rearview for the Chechen star, as his nutritionist made some revelations about the weigh-in process.
There has always been an uncertainty surrounding Khamzat Chimaev and his ability to make it to his fights. Of course, the health issues are one reason, but the other was related to his weight issues. But Dricus du Plessis didn’t shy away from taking shots at Chimaev and his past health struggles. But the undefeated star is in good health, and he even cruised through the weigh-ins easily this time. His nutritionist, Matteo Capodaglio, issued a statement after a bizarre experience at the weigh-ins.
Khamzat Chimaev stepped on the UFC scales before stepping on the commission’s scale
There have been a lot of reports of many analysts claiming that Khamzat Chimaev could make the fight plans go to waste, and that UFC 319 could end up being a “disaster.” ‘Borz’ and his team may have been aware of these murmurs, and so, they took every step to shut those people up. But when he stepped up to the scale, he had to get inside a black box.
For those who don’t know, having to weigh inside a black box usually means that a fighter may be a little overweight. But it turned out to be nothing, and Khamzat Chimaev’s nutritionist claims that he stepped on a couple of weighing scales that the UFC owned to make sure he’s on the right track. So, he doesn’t know if there was some kind of issue with the commission’s equipment during the weigh-ins.
After a couple of attempts, they found his weight to be just below the championship limit. And as he ended up weighing in at 183 lbs during the weigh-in, Khamzat Chimaev’s nutritionist asked fans to rest easy and not worry about the fight falling through. “Before any speculation starts about Khamzat’s weight, we weighed in on two UFC scales before stepping on the Athletic Commission’s one,” Matteo Capodaglio wrote on Instagram.
“Our weight was 184.8 lb. I’m not sure if it was an operator issue, but I can assure you, Khamzat’s weight was right below the championship limit of 185 lb,” Chimaev’s nutritionist added. “We don’t really like to cut more than needed, I promise!”
Well, there’s one promise made from Khamzat Chimaev’s team, but there’s another promise that the fighter himself has made, and it’s a chilling one. The Chechen star aims to not only dethrone Dricus du Plessis but also take away the title from his native land. Here’s what he had to say.
The UFC title won’t be coming back to Africa, claims Chimaev
Khamzat Chimaev wasn’t about trash talk during the pre-fight press conference recently, as he received a lot of support from the Chicago crowd, as opposed to Dricus du Plessis, who got some of the loudest boos ever. As the undefeated star promised to “f— him up,” he also warned the defending champion that he would never be able to win back the title, and the continent of Africa would never get another UFC champion, although in a respective manner.
Dricus du Plessis was answering a reporter about what to expect from the fight during the presser, claiming, “I think it’s the fact that I want to go out there and fight the best,” du Plessis said. “Remember when you’re cheering Saturday night.” That’s when Khamzat Chimaev intervened and said, “Africa is never gonna see the belt again. Sorry, guys.” It seems like the pressure could be on ‘Stillknocks’ this weekend.
Well, this was certainly a nod to Dricus du Plessis’s past claim about being the ‘real African’ champion, which was a bit cheeky. For the fans, though, it’s good news that the fight is on. We’ll see on which continent the belt ends up. Who do you think will win the fight at UFC 319? Let us know in the comments below.
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