Khamzat Chimaev ‘vomited green bile, almost died’ during harrowing UFC 328 weight cut

Former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw shared horrific details of Khamzat Chimaev’s weight cut after a conversation with his team.

The previously unbeaten Khamzat Chimaev’s first UFC middleweight title defense ended in him losing the belt to Sean Strickland in their UFC 328 grudge match. After a back-and-forth five rounds, Strickland earned a split decision nod on the scorecards to reclaim the middleweight throne.

The fight marked the first time in Chimaev’s MMA career that he left the cage without getting his hand raised. Just hours before the bout, there was widespread concern over whether or not Chimaev would make the walk to the Octagon on fight night.

As revealed by Arman Tsarukyan and other members of his team, Chimaev’s body nearly hit a breaking point as he struggled to make weight at the official weigh-in. While Chimaev eventually made championship weight, he looked drained and weak on the scale in front of the media.

According to former UFC bantamweight champ TJ Dillashaw, Chimaev’s weight cut was worse than previously acknowledged.

TJ Dillashaw: Khamzat Chimaev received bad advice that led to ‘near-death’ weight cut

In a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Dillashaw explained what went wrong with Chimaev in his camp and blamed it on bad advice he received during the cut.

“The water,” Dillashaw said of Chimaev’s cut. “I mean, if I could put it to one thing… like your body will shut down. Like you can’t go and lose 10 pounds all at once and not drink enough water to tell your brain and your body, like, ‘Hey, let’s keep losing weight. Let’s keep pushing water.’ If you lose too much of it too fast in one sitting, your body will stop sweating…

“He drank a quarter of the water he was supposed to drink and then lost four times the amount he was supposed to lose in one sitting, and his body just gave out. And he did not want to make the weight. He wanted to give Strickland $1 million and say, ‘Hey, take it. I can’t make it, I’m going to die.’ And you forget this guy’s got half a thyroid, right? His metabolism is half that of a normal man. And so if you’re not treating it the right way, you could kill him. And I really believe he was on the verge of death making that weight cut.”

“And then I saw him sitting in the bathtub to cut weight. It was like, Sam [Calavitta] wouldn’t have him sitting in the bathtub to cut weight,” Dillashaw continued on Chimaev. “And then to hear the story of what actually was happening to him and him puking up green bile and just all the like crazy s***. He should not have made it to the fight.”

Despite the setback, Chimaev allegedly wants to run it back with Strickland later this year and postpone a potential move to 205 lbs. If the rematch comes to fruition, expect Chimaev to make several changes in how he cuts down to championship weight.

Who do you want Khamzat Chimaev to face in his UFC return? Let us know in the comments!