Dana White reveals doctors advised Khamzat Chimaev to stop cutting weight at UFC 279: “He started locking up”

Dana White has revealed why UFC welterweight Khamzat Chimaev missed weight at UFC 279.

Earlier today, ‘Borz’ was expected to face Nate Diaz in his first pay-per-view headliner. The card was set to be the main event of UFC 279, set for this Saturday in Las Vegas. However, that fight is no longer going to happen.

This morning, the Stockton native weighed in at 171-pounds, successfully making weight for the bout. However, his opponent badly missed weight. Chimaev weighed in for the headlining bout at 178.5-pounds, effectively scrapping the fight.

Luckily, the card will still go on, thanks to some last-second heroics from Dana White and the UFC. The new main event of UFC 279 is Nate Diaz taking on Tony Ferguson. Furthermore, the co-main will see Khamzat Chimaev fight Kevin Holland in a five-round affair.

The UFC president announced the new slate of fights in an interview on SportsCenter. In addition to announcing the fight, White also explained the brutal weight miss for Chimaev.

According to the UFC president, the welterweight was experiencing some bad cramps during his weight cut. As a result, he was advised to stop losing weight by a doctor, resulting in the miss.

Khamzat Chimaev talks to Dana White during his UFC 267 fight

“So, what happened was he was cutting weight. If you saw him yesterday, he was very lean already and he should’ve come in on weight. He started to cut weight and you know, he started locking up and cramping. All things that happen from a bad cut.”

Dana White continued, “Unlike ten years ago, when we were doing this, we call and send a doctor up and he determines if he should keep cutting weight or not. The doctor told him he shouldn’t. So, we jumped on [saving this card] this morning.”

Are you looking forward to Khamzat Chimaev’s return? Sound off in the comment section below!