Khamzat Chimaev’s first professional defeat has immediately sparked questions about his future division after a split-decision loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 328 in Newark, N.J.
Strickland’s win came in a bout that was primarily contested on the feet, with his grappling defense limiting Chimaev’s usual wrestling-heavy approach and earning him the championship by the narrowest of margins.
On the broadcast, commentators quickly turned to Chimaev’s weight and potential next move. Daniel Cormier asked, "Does Khamzat want to fight at 185?" before adding, "They said he already has his eyes on 205. I don’t know." Joe Rogan responded, "Good question, because it could have been a factor," and noted, "The fact that he did try to bulk up plus thinking that he was going to fight Jiri Prochazka for 205."
UFC CEO Dana White says Chimaev has told him he no longer wants to fight at middleweight. Chimaev has previously competed at welterweight and missed the 170-pound limit by 7.5 pounds for UFC 279 in September 2022, a miss that caused the last three matchups of that event to be shuffled.
Jon Anik looked ahead to a potential second meeting between Chimaev and Strickland, saying, "One thing we know for sure is that the buildup to the rematch would be entirely different and there would be less emotional expenditure outside of Khamzat Chimaev, but we don’t know what type of factor that played," while speculation continues over whether Chimaev will target light heavyweight next.
