READ MORE:<\/strong> Baffling keeping blunder that saved Warner<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n READ MORE:<\/strong> Why Josh Cavallo's announcement matters<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n He stripped naked when he came back and used a towel to cover his private parts when he was on the scale. To the amazement of those in attendance, Chimaev weighed in at 75.3kg.<\/p>\n Chimaev was seen holding the top of the towel during the second attempt, and officials asked him to raise his hands for a third attempt which showed he came in right on weight at 77kg.<\/p>\n As vision of the weigh-in circulated online, several MMA fans and reporters accused the fighter of trying to cheat the scales.<\/p>\n "It was obvious he was trying to pull a fast one by leaning on the towel. His weight on the second try: 166 (pounds)! How could that possibly be?" MMA Junie's Simon Samano wrote.<\/p>\n "It was clear the dramatically smaller number had everything to do with Chimaev's obvious towel shenanigans."<\/p>\n Even an official can be heard asking "He lost five pounds?" in bewilderment during the clip.<\/p>\n https:\/\/twitter.com\/AlanDawsonSport\/status\/1453994100647157763?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw<\/a>https:\/\/twitter.com\/btsportufc\/status\/1454037378247577601?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw<\/a><\/p>\n Chimaev's clash with China's Jingliang will be his first in more than a year after temporarily retiring due to suffering severe health issues from COVID-19.<\/p>\n He was scheduled to face British fighter Leon Edwards last December and in January but positive Covid tests for both men cancelled the bouts.<\/p>\n Before being struck down by the virus, Chimaev burst onto the scene with 3 wins in 66 days and was hailed as a future star after disposing of several opponents in the first round.<\/p>\n His last clash against Gerald Meerschaert in September 2020 lasted 17 seconds.<\/p>\n For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0clicking here!<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n