Dustin Poirier believes Khamzat Chimaev’s intimidating presence has faded in the aftermath of his first career loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 328.
Chimaev, now 15-1 in MMA and 9-1 in the UFC, dropped a middleweight title fight to Strickland in the main event at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. All three judges had the fight scored two rounds apiece going into Round 5, with two judges giving the final frame and the belt to Strickland, who moved to 31-7 in MMA and 18-7 in the UFC.
Poirier suggested the result will change how future opponents view Chimaev. “The next fight, whoever he gets matched up with, it's going to be tough for him to intimidate because his aura took a hit this week,” Poirier said.
The build-up to UFC 328 was heated, with Strickland targeting Chimaev's religion before the bout. Poirier said he was let down by how quickly things cooled off afterward. “With the back-and-forth, I thought it was real. I think his whole aura took a hit this week. And putting the belt on (Strickland) – like, come on, man. They worked us for sure.”
Following the loss, Chimaev, who had previously contemplated a move to light heavyweight, has now called for a rematch against Strickland.
