Weigh-ins rule changed hour before Khamzat Chimaev hit the scale for UFC 308

The UFC 308 weigh-ins underwent a last-minute revision. Middleweight contender Khamzat Chimaev drew controversy for his late weigh-in in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, where he recently became a citizen. A post on X from MMA Junkie revealed that the weigh-in window was changed from one hour to two.

This is even though the UFC had previously asserted that the window was just one hour. This appears to have benefitted Chimaev, who is known for struggling with making weight, albeit at welterweight, not middleweight.

A panel discussion involving former two-division champion Daniel Cormier, ex-middleweight champion Michael Bisping, former lightweight action fighter Paul Felder, and sports announcer Dan Hellie shed some light on the entire weigh-in situation.

Hellie said:

"We've had a lot of guys have weigh-in. We're still waiting for several. The biggest name is one-half of the co-main event, Khamzat Chimaev. All the fighters have been encouraged to weigh-in prior to 10:00. Currently, it's 9:30 in the morning, local time, here in Abu Dhabi. They do have until 11:00."

While UFC 307, which took place in Salt Lake City, offered a one-hour window for its weigh-ins, UFC 308 is different. In Abu Dhabi, the fighters were encouraged to weigh in before 10:00 AM local time but would be allowed to weigh in at 11:00 AM local time.

This, however, would only be possible if the fighter in question notified the commission beforehand, which Chimaev appears to have done. Additionally, this change was made an hour before Chimaev weighed in.

Check out the panel discussion for the weigh-in changes (39:31):

Ultimately, Chimaev did step onto the scales and made weight but the circumstances surrounding it were likely concerning for officials.

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Khamzat Chimaev made weight last moment at UFC 308

With just 13 minutes left in the two-hour weigh-in window, Khamzat Chimaev stepped on the scale. Fortunately, the unbeaten Chechen made weight without fail, hitting the non-championship mark of 186 pounds.

Check out Khamzat Chimaev's weigh-in at UFC 308:

It remains unknown whether his late weigh-in was due to a difficult weight cut or a strategic decision to give himself as much time as possible. Regardless, his UFC 308 middleweight title eliminator with Robert Whittaker will now take place without fail, finally silencing all concerns about a last-minute pull-out.