Khabib Nurmagomedov takes on Justin Gaethje in the main event of UFC 254. The lightweight title will be on the line as two of the best fighters in UFC will go head to head on the Fight Island.
Both fighters have made the championship weights and we are one night away from witnessing this barn burner. However, the official weigh-ins ended in a controversial fashion.
The weigh-in of Khabib Nurmagomedov caught fans’ attention for the wrong reasons
Khabib Nurmagomedov showed up for the weigh-ins and he looked drained. It was obvious that he did not have a good weight cut. To be fair, none of the fighters like weight cuts, and Khabib has been the victim of botched weight cut before. So the concern on his face was understandable.
Khabib asked for the towel for the weigh-ins. And yet he did not look sure whether he will make the weight. Now the fans including ESPN’s Ariel Helwani noted that the official present for the weigh-in did not take enough time for the scale to settle.
ICYMI. Khabib and Gaethje made weight earlier today. Both 155. Khabib was first.
(That’s a veteran move by the official manning the scale, eh?) pic.twitter.com/oukFztLLza
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) October 23, 2020
Now it’s not the first time we have seen controversial weigh-ins before high profile fights. Daniel Cormier’s infamous towel weigh-ins before the fight against Anderson Silva is something that the fans will never forget. Kelvin Gastelum cheating during the weigh-ins before his fight against Darren Till also caught the fans’ attention.
However, Khabib Nurmagomedov did not do anything wrong. He showed up on the scale and made wright. Though the actions from the official were suspicious we have to give him the benefits of the doubt.
So far Khabib’s team or Gaethje’s team has not addressed this controversy. However, it’s possible that we might see fans complaining about this later on.
But, fans are not going to complain about the fact that they get to see the fight between Justin Gaethje and Khabib Nurmagomedov. Gaethje is arguably the biggest threat to Khabib’s lightweight throne. But, he must fight the best fight of his career in order to do what seems impossible at the moment, which is beating Khabib Nurmagomedov inside the octagon.