Shaky Khamzat Allegedly Cut 46 Pounds For UFC 328

Ahead of the weight cut, Khamzat’s friend and training partner Arman Tsarukyan revealed some shocking numbers. Per the top-ranked Lightweight contender, Khamzat cut roughly 21 kilograms or 46 pounds to make the Middleweight limit — that’s more than Paulo Costa in his 185-pound heyday!

“He cuts a lot of weight,” Tsarukyan admitted. “It’s not easy for anyone, even if you’re cutting three kilograms. Khamzat is cutting almost 21 kilograms this time. 21 kilograms is a big number.”

Why such a drastic cut? There are rumors that Khamzat was supposed to go up to 205-pounds and fight for the vacant belt right up until Strickland’s stunning victory over Anthony Hernandez (watch here), which changed the plan. Instead of bulking up, Chimaev would suddenly have to switch paths to losing weight.

Regardless of that gossip and Tsarukyan’s 21 kg figure, “Borz” clearly cut a serious amount of water here. Strickland surely intends to test his gas tank late in their five-round fight, and a bad cut could severely affect Chimaev’s ability to compete as fatigue sets in.