Khamzat Chimaev made the walk to the octagon inside the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on May 9 as the undefeated middleweight champion of the world. He faced former training partner and former 185-pound titleholder Sean Strickland in the UFC 328 main event.
Chimaev entered his first title defense as the betting favorite but left the cage with the first L on his record and without the middleweight belt. Strickland recaptured the championship via split decision. After the loss, “Borz” told UFC CEO Dana White that he would not fight at 185 pounds again and would be moving up to the light heavyweight division. He’s since changed his mind.
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Recently, Chimaev has been lobbying for an immediate rematch. In a social media post, he accused the champion of running from one.
“Accept the fight, don’t run, I’ll beat you anyway, The sooner this happens, the easier it will be to breathe @SStricklandMMA,” Chimaev wrote on X.
Strickland shut down talks of an immediate rematch backstage following the fight. If Chimaev wants a rematch, Strickland believes he should have to earn it.
“No, again, as always, you go get a couple W’s and I’ll see you again,” he said. “That’s just how it works. I truly believe rankings systems matter in the UFC. They should matter and whenever they don’t matter, I think it belittles the sport so just go get a couple W’s and I’ll see you again.”
