Khamzat Chimaev is headed to light heavyweight after dropping a split decision to Sean Strickland in the UFC 328 main event.
Chimaev’s first middleweight title defense went the distance in a back-and-forth five-round fight, with Strickland emerging as the winner and leaving with the middleweight belt. The bout was described as close, and it ended with the judges siding narrowly with Strickland.
After the fight, UFC CEO Dana White said Chimaev immediately made his intentions clear. "[Khamzat] literally walked up to me after the fight and said ‘I want to move up. I don’t want to fight in this weight class anymore,’" White revealed.
Chimaev had previously expressed interest in a move to 205 pounds and appeared to struggle with his weight cut before UFC 328. White added, "I was saying we haven’t seen him stand up and really go toe-to-toe with somebody in a while. But I think he had a rough weight cut."
White agreed with the judges’ scorecards, saying, "I had it two to two going into the last round," and, "I thought Strickland won the last round." He also praised Chimaev’s toughness: "He’s a tough guy. He’s a f*cking savage. I would expect him not to roll over and quit."
As for Chimaev’s debut at 205 pounds, White said, "I’m not even thinking about [who he’ll fight next]," but made it clear the shift up a division has his attention: "But him moving up is exciting."
