Chimaev left it awfully late to make weight for his upcoming fight against former UFC champion Robert Whittaker.
The unbeaten middleweight had fans concerned as they had to wait a long time for him to finally appear at Friday’s weigh-in – eventually hitting the scales with just 12 minutes left on the clock.
Chimaev has been chasing UFC titles since his debut in 2020Getty
As usual, the fighters had a two hour window to weigh in and Whittaker was quick to do so, weighing in at 185.5lbs.
But as time went on fans became increasingly worried UAE-based fighter Chimaev would miss weight again.
Their nerves were calmed as Chimaev eventually emerged, weighing in at 186 lbs ahead of Saturday’s showdown at UFC 308.
For UFC 279 in September 2022 ‘Borz’ was scheduled to fight Nate Diaz at welterweight but missed weight due to being 7.5 lbs overweight.
He then fought Kevin Holland in a catchweight bout at 180 pounds, coming out victorious via a first round submission.
The upcoming co-main event against Whittaker in Abu Dhabi had its bumpy path. The fight was previously scheduled in June but Chimaev had to withdraw due to health complications.
Chimaev caught COVID-19 during the pandemic and has struggled with his health ever since.
Talking to TNT Sport coach Eric Nicksick revealed: “I was there when he had that long COVID and he was coughing up blood in my gym. It was a serious health risk at that time.”
In UFC’s YouTube series Countdown, Chimaev detailed his story.
“We were in training camp and the first month was very good but in the last three weeks my immunity went down,” he said. “I don’t know what happened.
Chimaev looks in prime shape as he looks to recover from his recent illness concerns and continue his perfect career recordGetty
Chimaev broke down while training to fight Whittaker@guram_dze – instagram
“All the guys ate the same food but it was only me who got sick. I was in hospital for a few days but I came out and tried to train again. The same s*** happened again.
“The doctor said to me you need to be off from the gym and not train.”
UFC president Dana White labelled ‘Borz’ as “violently ill”.
Chimaev has come into this fight against his Australian opponent with a much more positive attitude, also giving compliments to his colleagues.
At the press conference he said: “I looked up to [Whittaker] when he was the champ. He’s a legend.
“”[I’m sitting] close to Max Holloway, hall of fame, been the BMF champ, world champ.
“Ilia Topuria, he did work with me, he’s the champ right now. I want to be the champ as well. It’s motivating.”
Whittaker is primed and ready to take on Chimaev in their rearranged fightGetty
The fighters were respectful during the weigh-in, but it’ll be all business on Saturday night when they meet at UFC 308Getty
This is a huge fight for Chimaev, who is aiming to rediscover his previous form.
Chimaev was touted for big things during his amazing rise in Dana White’s promotion – upon his entry to the UFC he won three fights between July and September 2020, the first two being nine days apart.
His last fight was a notable win against former champion Kamaru Usman, which went the full three rounds – only the second time Chimaev has done so, the first being against Gilbert Burns.
