UFC 328 is officially good to go after the main event fighters cleared the scale.
Middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland both weighed in at 185 pounds.
Eyes were on Chimaev heading into the weigh-ins because of his history with cutting weights. This time, though, he made weight though not without controversy.
The co-main event is also official after flyweight champion Joshua Van and unbeaten challenger Tatsuro Taira both came in at 125 pounds.
Did Khamzat Cheat the Scales?
The drama around Khamzat Chimaev’s weigh-in quickly unfolded online after fans and fighters questioned whether the scale ever fully balanced before the official reading was announced.
Several pundits pointed to the visible movement of the balance indicator during the process, arguing that the weigh-in looked rushed.
On his channel, Brice Mitchell summed up the frustration bluntly:
“They have to stand completely still. The little thingamabob on the scale, it has to balance. That dude didn’t make that weight. There’s no convincing me, bro.”
While no official issue was raised by the commission, the more conspiratorially-minded of the MMA public seem to think this is an issue of the UFC protecting their champ.
Strickland later exploded on Khamzat at the ceremonial weigh-ins, calling him a “cheating f*ck”.
Big fights now locked in
With the weigh-ins complete, attention now shifts fully to Saturday night at Prudential Center.
Chimaev enters the fight carrying plenty of momentum as one of the UFC’s most dominant champions, while Strickland looks to take the belt back after working his way into another title shot.
Van and Taira also bring serious intrigue to the co-main event, with two of the best flyweights in the world finally set to meet inside the cage.
Jeremy Stephens missed weight
A rough moment for Jeremy Stephens.
The UFC veteran stepped on the scale at 160 pounds for his fight against King Green, missing the limit by four pounds.
The UFC later confirmed the fight will remain at catchweight. Stephens will give up 30 percent of his purse because of the said miss.
Outside of these two issues, the weigh-ins moved quickly.