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Khabib Nurmagomedov Weigh-in Controversy! Did Khabib Nurmagomedov Truly Miss Weight for UFC 254?

Published 10/23/2020, 2:02 PM EDT

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Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje have both officially made weight for UFC 254. However, what transpired when Khabib stepped on the scale has raised a number of eyebrows, some even questioning the legitimacy of the weigh-in results.

The UFC lightweight champion was the first to step on the scale. A visibly drained Khabib had to use a towel. As soon as Khabib stepped onto the scale, the official announced the weight of 155-pounds. However, as was clearly clear in the video, the balance had yet not settled and was on an upward trajectory.

ESPN’s Ariel Helwani tweeted a video of Khabib hitting the scale and termed the official’s act as a ‘veteran move’.

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Under usual circumstances, the balance goes upwards when the fighter steps on the scale. However, after a few oscillations, it balances itself. In this case, it wasn’t given the necessary freedom to do so. Consequently, the official’s actions have led to a number of fans speculating if Khabib could’ve actually made weight or not.

Former MMA Trainer of the Year says the weigh-in of Khabib Nurmagomedov was not correct

Mike Dolce is a weight-cut coach who has managed the weight cuts of several UFC athletes such as Johny Hendricks, Ronda Rousey, and Thiago Alves. Moreover, he is a four-time World MMA Trainer of the Year. Therefore, it’s safe to say that he has sufficient knowledge of the subject when he speaks upon it.

Dolce uploaded a video on his YouTube channel where he points out the same glaring anomaly during Khabib’s weigh-ins. He also compared compares it with Justin Gaethje’s weigh-in to give a clear contrast between the two.

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The incident has sparked a lot of discussion among the fans. Both on Twitter and on other discussion forums, fans are going back-and-forth over if the issue is legitimate or not.

It is noteworthy that controversies at the weigh-ins have happened before for fighters from the American Kickboxing Academy. At UFC 210, Daniel Cormier was involved in a similar incident when he had to make the weight limit for light-heavyweight. Cormier leaned on the towel while he was on the scale.

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Do you think the official’s actions at the weigh-ins were correct or was there something fishy about that?

UFC 254: Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Justin Gaethje- Prediction and Analysis

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Written by:

Rishabh Singh

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Rishabh Singh is an MMA author at EssentiallySports since 2020. An engineer in the making, his love for combat sports began by watching Anderson Silva light people up inside the Octagon. When he isn't busy in his technical pursuits, he is an avid reader with a love for sports in general and sporting history in particular.
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