The Impact of the Weight Cut
Arman Tsarukyan, who assisted Khamzat Chimaev during his preparation for UFC 328, recently provided insights into the challenging circumstances surrounding Chimaev's first career defeat to Sean Strickland. During an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Tsarukyan noted that the strenuous path to reaching the 185-pound limit significantly hampered Chimaev’s performance.
«After the first round, he got tired, mostly because of the weight cut,» Tsarukyan explained. «He could wrestle for 25 minutes nonstop in camp, but after that night of cutting weight, he felt terrible and had no energy in the morning.»
According to Tsarukyan, Chimaev had expressed serious doubts about his physical state, even telling his team that he might lose if he successfully made weight. Despite these concerns, they pushed through the final stages of the process, though it was clear that Chimaev's body was struggling to recover.
Physical Toll and Future Adjustments
The severity of the cut was evident during the weigh-ins, where Chimaev appeared notably gaunt. Reports indicated that Chimaev even struggled with vomiting during the final stages of the weight loss process. Tsarukyan believes that Chimaev’s body may not be responding well to the extreme measures currently required to hit the middleweight mark.
«I think his body can't take the hits from the sauna. Most likely, he can still make the weight, but he just needs to adjust a few things to be lighter on the final day,» Tsarukyan suggested, proposing that Chimaev should aim to be 10 pounds over rather than 15 before the final cut.
Criticism and Perspective
Following the loss, Chimaev faced a wave of criticism from the MMA community—a common occurrence in the sport whenever a top-tier athlete falls. Tsarukyan dismisses the negativity, viewing it as the nature of the industry where public opinion shifts rapidly based on results.
Regarding Chimaev’s training regimen, Tsarukyan emphasized the importance of professional self-regulation: «People are always going to talk. If you feel tired, you just need to skip the training. At this level, you have to be a professional and control your own workload.»
Tsarukyan’s Own Path Forward
Meanwhile, Arman Tsarukyan remains a top contender in the lightweight division. He is currently staying active with Real American Freestyle (RAF) grappling matches while awaiting his next opportunity in the Octagon. Tsarukyan is currently set as the standby fighter for the upcoming lightweight title clash between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje.
Addressing rumors regarding a potential rematch with Charles Oliveira, Tsarukyan clarified that nothing has been finalized. «Today I said I might fight in September, and suddenly everybody is posting that I'm officially fighting Oliveira. Nothing is official. My next fight could be in September, October, or even next year—it all depends on what the UFC decides and the outcome of the Topuria-Gaethje bout,» he concluded.