UFC fans seem displeased by the welterweight star Khamzat Chimaev after he missed weight for the UFC 279 main event against Nate Diaz and then flipped his middle finger at the crowd after being booed.
So far, fight fans have seen two unusual things take place before UFC 279. First, the pre-fight press conference got canceled because Khamzat Chimaev got into an altercation with Kevin Holland and Nate Diaz backstage.
Later, the Russian-born Swedish fighter missed weight by 7.5lbs dismembering the fight card. All of these have added to the frustration level of the fans. Chimaev doesn’t seem to be concerned by his actions, though.
During the ceremonial weigh-ins, he came all pumped up shouting at the crowd. The Swede later showed the audience his middle fingers when they began to boo him. That was the last straw for the fans. They later slammed him in the comment section of a Twitter post.
Here are some reactions from the fans:
https://twitter.com/fujibtw/status/1568394934121553921?t=aUz_Gw1xOQnH8CHdO0PFbw&s=19
If you get booed because of where you’re from or people don’t like you being a braggart or acting like a villain, a middle finger is more than fine. If people are rightfully pissed because you didn’t make weight by a mile maybe act a little bit contrite. You fell short.
— Lex Jurgen (@Lex_Jurgen) September 10, 2022
Eh not that much of a fan anymore. Unprofessional even If it was a medical issue since he handled it like a joke
— Jesse (@JRoss1192) September 10, 2022
— Sourdeath Sam (@SourdeathSam) September 10, 2022
Why the guy behind him so mad 😂 pic.twitter.com/tfLqwJ3mlX
— Braxton (@galexyranger) September 10, 2022
Khamzat went from fan darling to most hated fighter in the UFC in one weekend 🤣🤣
— Majick (@Majick666) September 10, 2022
Dana White explains why Khamzat Chimaev missed weight
‘Borz’ missed the weight via a heavy margin, which has had a bad impression on his career. However, the Russian-born fighter seemed to have a legitimate reason for missing the welterweight limit.
In an interview with ESPN MMA, UFC president Dana White explained the whole scenario. He stated that Chimaev was having health issues. Thus, the UFC doctors advised him to stop cutting his weight any further.
“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,” White said.
Nevertheless, the promotion has reassembled the UFC 279 fight card. Now, Chimaev will fight Kevin Holland in the co-main event. Meanwhile, Chimaev’s previous opponent Nate Diaz will clash against UFC veteran Tony Ferguson in the main event. Both the fights are five rounds.
What are your thoughts on the new UFC 279 card? What is your reaction to Chimaev missing weight and later flipping fingers at fans?
