Khabib Nurmagomedov has some choice words for Khamzat Chimev following the latter’s failure to make weight ahead of UFC 279 last week.
Speaking at a recent event hosted by the non-profit organization Human Appeal, the former UFC champion questioned Chimaev’s team, noting that the rising star is not surrounded by enough Muslims.
“If you are a Muslim, you should have good people around you – Muslims who can say: ‘Hey, don’t do this,’” Nurmagomedov said. “I recently watched the weigh-in of Khamzat Chimaev. I followed what was happening with his weight and looked at his team. There are no Muslims around him and this is very bad. Because if you are a Muslim, you need good, strong people around you. [They] will say: “Come back, do this.
“When you become famous and rich, when you gain power and [around you] there are no people who will give advice or you do not listen to them, then something will happen. You need good people, even if you don’t like it, you need them,” he added.
Chimaev failed to make weight ahead of his scheduled UFC 279 main event against Nate Diaz, coming in at 178.5 pounds, 8.5 pounds over the contracted weight of 170 pounds. The undefeated welterweight was later repositioned in the co-main event against Kevin Holland, while Diaz faced Tony Ferguson in the main event. Both Chimaev and Diaz went on to win their respective bouts by submission.
It is worth noting that Nurmagomedov has also failed to make weight on multiple occasions during his UFC tenure. He missed weight ahead of his fourth UFC fight against Abel Trujillo at UFC 160 in May 2013, and was hospitalized two hours before his scheduled weigh-in to face Ferguson at UFC 209. The former champ also struggled to make weight ahead of his lightweight title defense at UFC 254.
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