K. Nurmagomedov breathes a sigh of relief when informed that he made weight for the UFC 254. Photo: Reproduction/YouTube
Breaking news can cause an uproar the day before the UFC 254, which takes place this Saturday (24), in Abu Dhabi. After struggling through the official weigh-in, held in the early hours of this Friday (23), the success of Khabib Nurmagomedov was placed in doubt. The respected nutritionist who works in MMA, Mike Dolce, pointed out a possible irregularity in the Russian's accounting, as he had to take off all his clothes to reach the lightweight limit (up to 70,3kg).
See too
In an almost five-minute video, published on his channel on 'YouTube' Dolce explains that, after Khabib was naked and wrapped in a towel, the person responsible for the measurements was not correct in the process of checking his weight. For Mike, the inspector did not have enough time to ensure whether the lineal champion was, in fact, within the mandatory limit for a title fight.
“Something very worrying happened at the weigh-in for the UFC 254. What happened? When Khabib stepped on the scale, the inspector, either through incompetence or intentionality, made a massive error that could cost many millions of dollars,” said Mike.
A respected MMA coach, Dolce used his years of knowledge in the sport to explain what he thinks happened at the weigh-in.
“Unfortunately, in my expert opinion, I don't think Khabib would have weighed 70,3kg. Now, Khabib was the first to show up for the weigh-in and would have extra time to try and cut more weight if he was physically able. But when you look at his body language, I’ll explain: he wouldn’t be able to do it,” he said.
According to Mike, the inspector ended up not fulfilling his role correctly. For him, there was, in fact, 'human error', which could directly influence the outcome of the confrontation.
“The weight is on an upward trajectory, and it has to balance. He's rising. This means that he (Khabib) is heavy, and he releases it when he is still rising. It doesn't allow it to stabilize in the center. This is not correct,” he concluded.
Error or not, Khabib is confirmed for the show this weekend. The Russian will face Justin gaethje in a confrontation valid for the unification of the category title.
Watch Khabib's weigh-in moment
Comments