UFC 328 was supposed to be Khamzat Chimaev’s night, but instead it turned into a cautionary tale about the dangers of extreme weight cutting. In the main event, "Borz" lost a competitive split decision to Sean Strickland, surrendering his Middleweight title in the process. Chimaev started strong, using his signature dominant wrestling, but fatigue set in quickly, leaving him to trade strikes with Strickland for most of the second half of the fight.

The root of Chimaev’s stamina issues may lie in a brutal weight cut that nearly derailed his fight week. Originally planning to move up to Light Heavyweight, Chimaev had been bulking up before the announcement that Strickland would be his next opponent at 185 pounds. This meant he started his training camp a staggering 46 pounds over the Middleweight limit, and when he stepped on the scale, he looked visibly drained, making weight with barely any time to spare.

UFC Lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan, who was present throughout the process, shared the gruesome details on the Jaxxon podcast. "From day one of his training camp, he cut 40 pounds," Tsarukyan revealed. "He had to cut 13 pounds on the last day. The first nine pounds was easy, and then he felt bad during the night. He woke up and said, ‘I feel so weak and no energy. I don’t know how I’m gonna cut this last four pounds.’ We pushed him so hard, but he didn’t want to finish the cut. Me and the team and the coaches had to push him to make weight."

This isn’t the first time Chimaev has faced weight issues. In 2022, he missed weight so badly for a planned matchup against Nate Diaz that it blew up the entire fight card and led to his exile from the Welterweight division. As the dust settles on UFC 328, the big question remains: will Chimaev finally move up to 205 pounds as initially planned, or will he push for a rematch at Middleweight? Either way, his future depends on finding a sustainable solution to his weight-cutting struggles.