Only a few weeks ago the UFC had an absolute disaster of an event, UFC 279, which was supposed to be headlined by Chimaev vs Diaz. However, after Chimaev missed weight by nearly eight pounds, the entire card had to be rearranged.

In a chaotic turn of events, Diaz ended up fighting fellow MMA legend, Tony Ferguson. Li Jingliang, on the other hand, was left fighting an opponent ten pounds heavier, Daniel Rodriguez, where Jingliang lost in a controversial split decision. Chimaev ended up fighting Kevin Holland, where Chimaev won decisively via submission. Although fan favorite Nate Diaz ended up receiving a better matchup, Chimaev’s unprofessionalism and immature reaction to his missed weight has raised some serious questions about his validity as a fighter. 

Despite the controversial missing of weight and Chimaev’s mocking jokes on stage, Dana White did not seem to have any aggression or disappointment with the fighter. Of course, it was acknowledged that it was a major problem, but even after the fight White went on to praise Chimaev calling him a “f****** freak of nature” specifically. This statement definitely rings true when you look at Chimaev’s recent history and fight statistics, but missing weight by nearly eight pounds puts you at a significant advantage over any other opponent who had to cut the full amount of weight.

Not only is it an advantage, but weight cutting is considered half of the battle when it comes to a fight. The greatest challenges a fighter faces often are not within the cage and the fight itself, but what it takes to get there. This raises questions about how much Chimaev deserves the praise he’s receiving when he completely failed to even come close to the weight. 

As legend of the sport Chael Sonnen has said, there are very few rules in the sport of MMA. The two big ones are to show up on the right day and make weight. These are the two major factors in combat sports that keep things fair and keep things moving. Chimaev seems to have captured the MMA community’s praise for his technical skill and dominance, yet we have legends such as Charles Olivera who have been around for much longer and have “missed” weight under controversial circumstances, such as uncalibrated scales, who receive way more backlash. Hopefully Chimaev will learn from his mistake, and possibly move up to middleweight for a more successful and respected future.