Andreas Michael says Khamzat Chimaev can make the welterweight limit with good notice.
During a recent edition of Chimaev’s VLOG episode, Michael said the middleweight division is best for a title run. He added on by saying that a 170-pound weight cut isn’t unattainable by Chimaev. He wants more than five weeks to make the weight limit.
“Middleweight, for the belt,” Michael said. “I would like that. That’s an amazing fight, but we can fight at (welterweight). There is no problem. There is no problem at all. It’s just good preparation – good warning for if we’re going to go drop a lot down in weight. Then we need time and it’s done – not these five weeks or four weeks preparation thing because it’s not doable at that time.”
Notably, Chimaev missed weight ahead of his scheduled main event welterweight bout with Nate Diaz at UFC 279. Instead, he faced Kevin Holland in a 180-pound catchweight fight which he won by first-round submission. Coach Michael revealed that it was his decision to end Chimaev’s weight cut after he suffered muscle spasms. It was Chimaev’s only weight miss in his UFC career.
Chimaev has been successful since his UFC debut in July 2020. He has gone 6-0 with five finishes. He also holds the record for the fastest turnaround between UFC wins in the modern era with ten days.
Andreas Michael Is Certain That Khamzat Chimaev Can Make Middleweight By Tomorrow
Coach Michael is confident that his star pupil can make middleweight as soon as possible. Chimaev mentioned on his VLOG that no one has accepted a fight for him. He does not have a scheduled fight booked as of yet.
“Right now, [Chimaev’s] at 89 kilos (196 pounds), so he can make weight tomorrow,” Michael said. “So it’s no problem at 84 kilos (185) even if everyone thinks that he’s 140 kilos.” (h/t MMA Junkie)
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— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) September 23, 2022
