To the surprise of many, Khamzat Chimaev is no longer middleweight champion after UFC 328.
Once believed to be MMA’s most unbeatable presence, Chimaev (15-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) lost his perfect record and the 185-pound belt to Sean Strickland (31-7 MMA, 18-7 UFC) by split decision Saturday at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., and now it appears radical change may be coming.
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The Chimaev who showed up in the first round against Strickland was the handful everyone expected him to be, and it looked like he might finish the job early. Strickland survived and endured the bad positions, however, and as the fight wore on, Chimaev’s inability to find grappling success it into a coin-toss on the feet.
It was a close one, no question, but Chimaev can’t complain robbery, and largely handled the massive upset loss with dignity as he wrapped the belt around Strickland’s waist. He didn’t stick around for an in-cage interview with Joe Rogan or backstage media, however, but the breadcrumbs about his future have been sprinkled out.
UFC CEO Dana White told me post-fight that Chimaev said he’s done fighting at middleweight in the immediate aftermath of the loss. His weight cut – and whether he actually made championship weight on Friday – was a big part of the fight week narrative. It’s a move that felt inevitable whether he won or lost, and he should go forward with it.
I can already see Chimaev starting to waver by alluding he will see Strickland again. The competitor in him surely won’t sit well from this loss, and he will eventually convince himself he was wronged on the scorecards. The problem is, the love-fest with Strickland has killed all animosity between the two and it wasn’t such a good fight people will be begging for a rematch.
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Because of that, Chimaev should definitely follow through on going up to light heavyweight. There’s a huge fight sitting right there with Paulo Costa (16-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC), and if things go right, that could even be for an interim title while 205-pound champion Carlos Ulberg recovers from his ACL surgery.
Chimaev vs. Costa is probably a more genuine grudge match than the Strickland fight ever was, and it would afford “The Wolf” a path to join the club of fighters to win belts in two weight classes. He lost his belt, perfect record and invincible aura at UFC 328, but he didn’t lose the ability to participate in big fights – and facing Costa in a new division is one that would capture the imagination of many fight fans.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 328 matchmaker: Who’s next for Khamzat Chimaev after loss?
