Tons of fans, fighters and MMA media are delighted with the reshuffle of the first three fights on the UFC 279 pay card. I’ll admit, the Main Event got better and more competitive when Tony Ferguson was sent off for losing 7.5 pounds. That fact shouldn’t overshadow that Chimayev, who was touted as a UFC welterweight title challenger — who may have won UFC champ Leon Edwards’ chances in his win over Diaz at UFC 279 — was distanced at the time. The champion weighs only 8.5 pounds. He stepped on the scale before UFC 279.
This leads to the question, how does the UFC handle issues like Chimaev?
“Yeah, that’s a problem, it’s a problem with him being underweight,” UFC president Dana White said in a post-fight news conference at UFC 279. “We’ll have to look at it and figure it out, but it makes sense that he’s fighting at (185). So we’ll see.”
That’s a question. If Chimaev is, as his trainer​​Andreas Michael toldMMA Hour, “muscle spasms, tremors, vomiting. When he stands up, He had passed out, “There should be real concern for Chimaev’s health and safety.
UFC, Athletic Council and Chimaev’s team also need to consider what Michael said about the fighter after his horrific COVID-19 bout, which led to Chimaev’s announcement from MMA retired.
“Since he got [covid] and all these health issues, his weight has been a bit difficult. I have to be honest with you. Since that issue , there was something wrong with his body,” Michael said. Fight at the weight his trainer wants him to compete at.
If Chimayev’s team thinks their fighter can advance to welterweight again, it was his recent win over Gilbert in April The weights Burns had done before, his camp required close monitoring of his fitness and weight throughout the camp, and as much as possible to avoid drastic cuts the day before the weigh-in.
In addition, the sports committee of the state where Chimayev will play next needs to be involved in monitoring his progress to avoid any health and safety issues. Everyone knows that weight loss is an accepted practice in combat sports, but that doesn’t mean it’s safe, good, or even necessary. For battle camps, commissions, and promotions, the health and safety of the warriors needs to be the top priority. Since Chimayev’s contract weight has dropped significantly, his next weight loss, if it’s 170 pounds, will need to be monitored from start to finish.
UFC 279 marked Chimaev’s first weightlessness. With that, I don’t think it’s necessary to force him to switch to welterweight, but I think any trust the UFC had in him reaching the limit of welterweight — safely — evaporated the moment the weigh-in day read 178.5 .
If UFC books welterweight Chimaev as his next fight, I hope this fight will be in a strong Under the supervision of the Sports Committee. I also hope the UFC doesn’t make it a title fight/main event to avoid a big shakeup like we saw at UFC 279. I would also say that a backup fighter is needed as a failsafe in case Chimayev fails to achieve his goals again.
Ideally, Chimaev’s team eliminated these issues by announcing that he would move to middleweight and stay there.
Chimaev is a UFC favorite. At welterweight, he might need another fight at 170 before he can claim the division’s title. There’s no reason to believe the UFC wouldn’t give him the same chance at middleweight. If you’re skeptical, take a look at the less established (in MMA) fighter (in MMA) who faces UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya at UFC 281 – Alex Pei Leila.
My concern is, as White claims that Paul Costa “has to be at 205 pounds ( pound) fight”, the UFC forgets about its worries once the attention shifts to another issue in the promotion.
