Arman Tsarukyan reveals Khamzat Chimaev almost quit before UFC 328 weigh-ins: ‘He didn’t want to finish the cut’

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - MAY 8: Khamzat Chimaev poses on the scale at the UFC 328 official weigh-in at the Hyatt Regency Morristown on May 8, 2026 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC)

Arman Tsarukyan had his work cut out for him getting Khamzat Chimaev to the scale.

Chimaev had to make 185 pounds or less for his middleweight title defense against Sean Strickland at UFC 328, and it was far from easy. When it came time to officially weigh in, Chimaev successfully hit the mark, but looked uneasy. He later went on to lose his title to Sean Strickland via split decision at the conclusion of a five-round fight that saw Chimaev’s energy levels noticeably drop after winning Round 1.

According to Tsarukyan, Chimaev almost lost the battle before he even made the walk to the octagon.

“From Day 1 of his training camp, he cut 40 pounds,” Tsarukyan told the JAXXON podcast. “[For fight week,] he had to cut 13 pounds. Tuesday, he had to cut, like, 12 or 13 pounds. First nine pounds was easy, and then he felt bad during the night, and then he woke up and said to us, ‘I feel so weak and, like, no energy. I don’t know how I’m going to cut this last four pounds.’ But we just pushed him so hard.

“He didn’t want to do that. He didn’t want to finish the cut, but the team, me and the coaches, we tried to push him to make the weight, and he made weight.”

One reason why Chimaev had to cut down from such a high number was Chimaev gearing up for a move to 205 pounds instead of a middleweight title defense. Both Tsarukyan and UFC commentator Joe Rogan have promoted this narrative, though it’s unclear if this was an official discussion had between Chimaev and the UFC.

Regardless, Chimaev looked so bad on the scale that rumors circulated on social media that he actually missed weight and was the beneficiary of favorable treatment from the New Jersey athletic commission. Tsarukyan shot that down, claiming UFC protocol makes such skullduggery impossible.