Fighters react to Khamzat Chimaev’s weigh-in ‘disaster’ for UFC 279: ‘The Smash brothers are eating good’

Khamzat Chimaev

Khamzat Chimaev was criticized by fellow fighters after he failed to make weight for UFC 279.

The top-ranked welterweight contender was scheduled to take on Nate Diaz in the main event this Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Tensions were rising during the build-up and the pre-fight press conference got called off due to the risk of a brawl backstage.

Fighters react to Khamzat Chimaev missing weight for UFC 279

At this morning’s weigh-ins, Chimaev missed weight by a huge margin, showing up at 178.5 pounds for the 170-pound contest. Chimaev put the pay-per-view finale at risk as the fight would not get sanctioned by the athletic commission based on the current standings.

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Following the epic mishap, reactions from fellow fighters and members of the community came flooding in.

Top-ranked welterweight Belal Muhammad tweeted: “Me vs khamzat at 185 Tony vs Nate at 170 and. leech can be the special guest referee.”

Derek Brunson chimed in, tweeting: “The Smash brothers are eating good ….178.5 for Chimaev. What an disaster #UFC279”

Mini Khabib claimed to have spotted Chimaev eating dinner and drinking sparkling water the night before at a restaurant. Michael Chiesa shared her message: “Ran into Khamzat Chimaev He was hanging out at a restaurant for hours drinking sparkling water and eating the night before weigh ins and now Khamzat misses weight . I was worried all night about this when I saw it.hope the fight still happens tomorrow . #ufc279.”

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Julian Marquez asked the burning question: “Okay, so what happens next? 8lbs is a lot of weight. I’m pretty sure commission cuts the fight after 5lb over (not 100% on that). Did we just lose our headliner?”

Paulo Costa gave his take: “GourmetChenChen trying losing some weight Good morning for those can’t make weight.”

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Kevin Holland made weight early and shared a video commenting on the situation.

Who will be next for Khamzat Chimaev?