UFC 279 video: Khamzat gives fans the middle finger after missing weight, vows to ‘smash everybody’

Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

Khamzat Chimaev is fully embracing his new role as heel after missing weight ahead of his now-canceled welterweight matchup with Nate Diaz at UFC 279.

Chimaev (11-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) weighed 8 pounds over the 170-pound limit at the official UFC 279 weigh-ins, hitting the scales at 178 pounds. He has been relegated to the co-main event where he will fight Travis Lutter BJJ standout Kevin Holland at a catchweight of 180 pounds.

Khamzat was met with a chorus of boos at the UFC 279 ceremonial weigh-ins, but the undefeated Chechnan seemed to feed off of the crowd’s energy, flipping the bird during his interview with Joe Rogan.

Here’s what he had to say, per MMA Junkie: “They stopped that sh*t (the weight cut), I don’t know. Hey, this is Chechnya motherf**kers. Shut up, guys. I’m gonna f**k your boy up, I f**k him backstage as well.”

“I don’t care, I want to smash everybody. I come here (to) f**k everybody. I’m gonna take it over now.”

UFC 279: Diaz vs. Ferguson takes place tonight, Sept. 10, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

LIVE! Watch UFC 286 PPV On ESPN+ Here!

CHAMPIONSHIP TRILOGY! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to The O2 in London England, on Sat., March 18, 2023, with newly-minted Welterweight kingpin, Leon Edwards, running it back with former 170-pound champion, Kamaru Usman, for a third (and likely final) time. In UFC 286’s pay-per-view (PPV) co-main event, all-action Lightweight knockout artists, Justin Gaethje and Rafael Fiziev, will lock horns with the winner inching closer to a future Lightweight title shot.

Don’t miss a single second of EPIC face-punching action!