Khamzat Chimaev has reversed course on a planned move to Light Heavyweight and is now pushing for an immediate rematch with Sean Strickland after losing his UFC Middleweight title.
Chimaev dropped his belt and suffered his first professional loss via split decision to Strickland in the UFC 328 main event on May 9, 2026, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. After the fight, UFC CEO Dana White said Chimaev told him he intended to leave Middleweight, but that stance has quickly changed.
Less than a week later, Chimaev’s team made it clear he only wants to run it back with Strickland. “The rematch with Sean Strickland is the only fight that Khamzat wants, he is obsessed with it,” one team representative said. “That’s the only fight he will accept right now.”
Artur Chimaev confirmed they have already taken formal steps toward a second meeting. “We’ve requested a rematch with Strickland,” he said. “There’s an event in Abu Dhabi in October, and we want to do it there. Khamzat isn’t the type of person to move to another weight class and leave unanswered questions behind. We want the second fight. Right now we have no other goals.”
Artur also described serious issues with Chimaev’s UFC 328 weight cut. “There was a problem with the weight cut,” he said, detailing how “when there was [2.7 pounds] left, his body shut down. Oxygen deprivation. His body malfunctioned. We had to stop for an hour because his health wouldn’t allow him to continue. Khamzat himself said he didn’t know how he’d fight in that condition.”
Strickland, meanwhile, has said he suffered a shoulder injury during fight week that worsened during the bout, making his return timeline unclear. He has also stated he no longer wants to fight outside the United States and has hinted he would prefer a title defense against Nassourdine Imavov.
