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According to a tweet by Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports, No.3-ranked UFC welterweight Khamzat Chimaev will not be receiving a monetary penalty despite weighing in 7.5 pounds above the welterweight limit for his UFC 279 main event.
In a post on his Twitter account, Iole explained why the Chechen-born Swede was not being fined, saying:
"For those asking, Khamzat wasn’t fined for missing weight. He’s in a new bout at a catchweight and he made that weight. So fines for Dawodu and Barnett because they missed weight and are fighting same opponent. Khamzat is fighting a 180-pound catchweight, so no fine."
Check out the tweet below:
Khamzat Chimaev, however, was subsequently dropped to the co-main event. He will now face Kevin Holland in a 180-pound catchweight bout.
Chimaev's original opponent for the event, Nate Diaz, will now be taking on former UFC interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson as part of the main event for UFC 279.
Weight-related issues have also affected a few other fights on the card besides the main event.
Featherweight Hakeem Dawodu weighed in at 3.5 above the divisional weight limit for his fight against Julian Erosa. Dawodu will surrender thirty percent of his fight purse to his opponent.
Fan favorite heavyweight Chris Barnett also weighed in at 267.5 pounds for the fight against Jake Collier. The American missed weight by 1.5 pounds and will surrender twenty percent of his purse to Collier.
The bantamweight clash between Irene Aldana and Macy Chiasson has also been bumped up to a 140-pound catchweight bout.
Dana White explains why Khamzat Chimaev missed weight for his UFC 279 fight
Khamzat Chimaev seems to have legitimate reasons behind not making weight for UFC 279. In a recent interview with ESPN MMA, in the wake of a massive shuffle of the upcoming UFC card, Dana White explained why 'Borz' was unable to make weight.
The UFC president revealed that health issues related to a bad weight cut were what ultimately rendered the surging welterweight contender unable to complete his weight cut. White added that doctors advised Chimaev not to cut weight:
"He started locking up and cramping. All the things... that are from a bad cut... They called in, we sent a doctor and the doctor determines whether he should keep cutting weight or not and the doctor told him he shouldn't."
Check out the full interview with ESPN MMA below:
Chimaev is currently 11-0 in his pro-MMA career. 10 of his 11 wins have come by finishes.
