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Khamzat Chimaev has denied accusations that he tried manipulating the scale during the UFC 267 weigh-ins.
'Borz', rubbishing claims that he "cheated," said his religion doesn't allow him to use deceitful methods and gain an unfair advantage. According to Chimaev he only relaxed his hands on the towel because he wanted to avoid a wardrobe malfunction.
"I'm Muslim, brother... If [the towel] gets down, brother, it's fu***d up, bro... Brother, I never gonna cheat. F these guys. I don't know what they're talking about."
Watch Chimaev deny the cheating accusations in an interview with BT Sport below:
Chimaev first stepped on the scale at 171.5 pounds. He was given an hour to drop the excessive weight. In his second attempt, the UFC welterweight weighed 166 pounds, simply because he was holding the towel.
However, the third time really was the charm for Chimaev. Coming in at 171 pounds, with his hands well above the towel, 'Borz' successfully made weight for his UFC 267 outing with Li Jingliang.
Khamzat Chimaev has never struggled to make weight in his three-year MMA career. Clarifying why it was a little different this time around, he said:
"We started [cutting weight] a little bit later, that's why it was like little bit... not so hard but last one pound it was like something [hard]. I never felt like that before. Always, I did that easy. But the last pound didn't come out but I didn't feel like bad, you know. Now I'm stronger. I'll show that tomorrow."
Khamzat Chimaev is gunning for a finish at UFC 267
Khamzat Chimaev's professional MMA record stands at 9-0, with a 100 percent finish rate. At UFC 267, the Chechen-born Swede will settle for no less than a knockout or a submission win.
Speaking to BT Sport on Wednesday, 'Borz' said he doesn't intend to wrestle with Li Jingliang and leave the decision in the hands of the judges. Having finished all nine of his fights, the 27-year-old wants to maintain his picture-perfect finishing record.
Catch BT Sport's fight week interview with Khamzat Chimaev below:
Khamzat Chimaev is returning to the UFC after a 14-month layoff. He last fought Gerald Meerschaert last September. He defeated him via knockout in the first round.
