Khamzat Chimaev has missed weight for his welterweight fight against Nate Diaz at UFC 279 this weekend.
Chimaev, 28, and Diaz, 37, are set to headline the event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, but it is as yet unclear how Chimaev’s failed weight-cut will affect the card.
It is also unclear what it means for Diaz, for whom the bout marks the final fight on his UFC contract. The American, a fan favourite, has long expressed a desire to be released by the UFC.
After missing the welterweight limit of 171lbs – coming in at 178.5lbs – Chimaev appeared to laugh on the scale, “Not that bad,” before posting a joke on Twitter about the matter.
“It’s his fault,” the Russian-born Swede tweeted alongside a laughing emoji and a meme of himself and teammate Darren Till looking overweight.
MMA journalist Ariel Helwani reported that a medical issue was the reason behind Chimaev’s failed weight cut.
On Thursday (8 September), the UFC 279 press conference was abandoned due to a series of backstage incidents, at least two of which reportedly involved Chimaev.
UFC president Dana White said the 28-year-old had started the commotion alongside fellow UFC fighter Kevin Holland, and Helwani later reported that Chimaev had begun the fracas by kicking Holland, who is also due to fight at UFC 279.
Earlier in the week, Chimaev also confronted UFC middleweight Paulo Costa at the promotion’s Performance Institute in Las Vegas.
Chimaev is 11-0 as a professional mixed martial artist, having won his first 10 fights via stoppage. He last competed in April, outpointing former welterweight title challenger Gilbert Burns.
