Khamzat Chimaev’s weigh-in for UFC 328 quickly became the hottest topic before his showdown with Sean Strickland. The fighter appeared visibly drained as he stepped onto the scale just before the deadline, sparking a firestorm of debate among fans online.

Footage of the tense moment spread like wildfire, but former two-weight champion Daniel Cormier is pushing back against what he calls a baseless conspiracy. After a post on X suggested Chimaev had missed weight and the UFC was covering it up, ‘DC’ stepped in to set the record straight.

“He absolutely made weight! When that thing broke down again, that says he weighed 185,” Cormier wrote, shutting down the theory with authority. The former champ’s response matters because the buildup to Chimaev vs. Strickland has been electric. Their heated press conference on Thursday only cranked up the tension, and any weight controversy could have derailed the long-awaited clash.

The debate is understandable, though. Chimaev’s weight cut looks brutal, even if the weigh-in itself was clean. His friend Arman Tsarukyan revealed to journalist Adam Zubayraev that Chimaev has to shed a staggering 21 kilograms—about 46 pounds—to make the middleweight limit. That kind of drop explains why he looked so exhausted before hitting the scale.

It also sheds light on why a move to light heavyweight has been whispered. Chimaev can still make 185 pounds, but the process is clearly taking a toll. For now, all eyes are on Saturday night, when the two rivals finally settle their long-running feud inside the Octagon.