Following the controversy surrounding Khamzat Chimaev and his massive weight miss at UFC 279, everyone including UFC President Dana White is questioning if a return to the welterweight division is a good idea for the Chechnyan monster.
Scheduled to face Nate Diaz in the UFC 279 main event, ‘Borz’ stepped on the scale at 178.5 pounds. The miss forced UFC officials to scramble at the last minute to rework a majority of the main card in an attempt to save the event from cancellation. In the end, things worked out and the promotion delivered a solid card, but Khamzat Chimaev’s cavalier attitude towards missing weight left a bad taste in the mouths of fans, fighters and the UFC boss.
Discussing the controversy with The Schmo on YouTube is perhaps the greatest welterweight in the history of the sport, Georges St-Pierre. Asked about his thoughts on Khamzat Chimaev’s controversial weight miss ahead of UFC 279, ‘Rush’ said:
“Yeah, he needs to make weight. When you miss weight, it’s a big direspect, not only to your opponent, but to the sport. But we don’t know what happened. Maybe there’s a reason. Maybe there’s a medical reason or something. When you don’t know, you don’t know, but for sure in the future, if he misses weight another time, maybe that will prevent him from having a title shot.”
When asked about Khamzat Chimaev competing in the 185-pound division rather than cutting down to welterweight, GSP believes ‘Borz’ deserves another shot at making welterweight, should he choose to remain in the division.
“I don’t have any data or any information on what happened, but maybe you give him the chance to go back at 170 if he wants to, but he can’t miss weight. Missing weight, it’s hard to forgive.”
#UFC279 weigh-in results: @kchimaev 178.5 lbs. pic.twitter.com/JcQu2LaR0e
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) September 9, 2022
GSP on Whether or Not Khamzat Chimaev Deserves a Welterweight Title Shot
Talking about Khamzat Chimaev’s potential for a UFC welterweight world title opportunity, the former welterweight king believes a trilogy fight with Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards makes the most sense, but Chimaev could be in line to fight the winner.
“As a fan, I would like to see Kamaru Usman get revenge [on Leon Edwards]. If someone deserves it, it’s him. Maybe perhaps Chimaev will have a shot against the winner of this fight.”
Speaking from personal experience, St-Pierre offered his own advice to Kamaru Usman on how to bounce back from a devastating and shocking loss.
“Well, I know for him… I’ve talked to him. I had a chance to spend some time with him in Paris. I know it’s a hard time for him because when you lose, it’s not a pleasant experience. He has an opportunity to take that and turn it around. To make a 180 degree. I think it just will… If he’s successful, it will add to his legacy. When things go well, everbody’s good. When things go bad, when you make a mistake and everybody makes mistakes, you have a bad day at work. It happens to everybody.
“I’m not saying that to diminish Leon Edwards. I don’t think it was a fluke. I think Leon Edwards planned it and planned it very well. It was an amazing setup. One of the most beautiful knockouts we’ve ever seen, but what I’m saying is that I think Usman can learn from that experience and come back better next time.”
