"Pull from the card and starve" - When Conor McGregor slammed Khamzat Chimaev for 'smirks' after missing weight at UFC 279

Keeping UFC 279 afloat was a grueling endeavor for the promotion after Khamzat Chimaev weighed in 7.5 lbs over the limit for his main event fight against Nate Diaz.

To make matters worse, Chimaev showed no remorse at the scales but instead smirked and made abusive gestures at the crowd while he missed weight.

More drama ensued as multiple others on the card failed to tame the scales, forcing UFC to do a massive reshuffle of the event. Diaz was eventually paired up with Tony Ferguson, with Chimaev bumped down to the co-headliner against Kevin Holland.

Although the weight miss resulted in the Chechen-born UAE national missing out on a chance to headline his first-ever pay-per-view, many were of the opinion that the fighter's unprofessional conduct warranted stricter punishments.

It seems UFC megastar Conor McGregor was among those who were enraged by the fighter's weight miss. The Irishman took to X [formerly Twitter] to post:

"My opinion, they should have pulled Khamzat from the card entirely. Reconfiguring bouts and with a more favorable bout for the failed cutter will only make many others in the game follow suit. The smirks on the scale were enough for me. Pull from the card and starve. McG UFC."

Khamzat Chimaev is scheduled to face former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman at UFC 294 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The event will be headlined by the lightweight title bout between Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski.

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How Conor McGregor inspired Khamzat Chimaev to pursue MMA

Conor McGregor's exploits in mixed martial arts have inspired many to take up the sport. Surprisingly, the highly touted Khamzat Chimaev is one of the many talents that the Irishman inspired.

During an interview with ESPN's Brett Okamoto 'Borz' revealed that it was McGregor's sensational one-punch knockout over Jose Aldo that prompted him to pursue a career in MMA. He said:

"I see the guy [McGregor] knock him [Aldo] out. I was thinking, 'If that guy did that, s**t, then why I'm not going to do it.' Mentally, I'm stronger than him, my body is bigger than hi[s]. I was feeling at that time [if I met] him outside, I can break him, you know? If he makes that money, why not me?"

Catch Khamzat Chimaev's comments below (4:07):