Arman Tsarukyan has revealed that Khamzat Chimaev came dangerously close to pulling out of his UFC 328 title defense before even stepping on the scale. The revelation adds a layer of drama to an already unforgettable fight week, where Chimaev ultimately lost his middleweight belt to Sean Strickland in a grueling split decision.

According to Tsarukyan, Chimaev's weight cut was nothing short of a nightmare. "From Day 1 of his training camp, he cut 40 pounds," Tsarukyan explained on the JAXXON podcast. "For fight week, he had to cut 13 pounds. The first nine pounds were easy, but then he felt terrible during the night. He woke up and told us, 'I feel so weak, I have no energy. I don't know how I'm going to cut this last four pounds.'"

Tsarukyan and the coaching staff had to push Chimaev relentlessly to get him to the scale. "He didn't want to finish the cut," Tsarukyan said. "But the team, me and the coaches, we tried to push him to make the weight, and he made weight." The drained look on Chimaev's face during the official weigh-in told the story—he was visibly struggling, and rumors quickly spread on social media that he might have missed the 185-pound mark.

Those rumors were fueled by speculation that Chimaev had been preparing for a move to 205 pounds rather than defending his middleweight title. Both Tsarukyan and UFC commentator Joe Rogan have hinted at this possibility, though it remains unclear if it was ever formally discussed with the promotion. Tsarukyan, however, dismissed any talk of favoritism from the New Jersey athletic commission, explaining that UFC protocol leaves no room for error. "Before the official weigh-ins, you go to one more weigh-in, and the UFC checks you," he said. "If there's 186 on the automatic scale, you cannot go to the official one."

Chimaev did make weight, but the battle was far from over. In the octagon, he dominated Round 1 against Strickland but visibly faded as the fight progressed, ultimately losing via split decision. For fans and fighters alike, this story serves as a stark reminder of the brutal toll that weight cutting takes on athletes—and the sheer willpower required to step into the cage.