Nevermind! Khamzat Chimaev changes course, now ‘obsessed’ with Sean Strickland rematch – ‘That’s the only fight’
Flip flop! Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight champion, Khamzat Chimaev, suffered the first loss of his professional career (and his title) this past weekend (Sat. , May 9, 2026), dropping a razor-close split decision to Sean Strickland in UFC 328’s main event inside Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Immediately after the fight, UFC CEO […]
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - MAY 09: Khamzat Chimaev of Russia prepares to face Sean Strickland in the UFC middleweight championship fight during the UFC 328 event at Prudential Center on May 09, 2026 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) Flip flop! Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight champion, Khamzat Chimaev , suffered the first loss of his professional career (and his title) this past weekend (Sat.
, May 9, 2026), dropping a razor-close split decision to Sean Strickland in UFC 328 ’s main event inside Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Immediately after the fight, UFC CEO Dana White revealed that Chimaev told him he planned to move up to Light Heavyweight and leave the Middleweight division behind. Apparently, those plans didn’t last very long.
Less than a week later, Chimaev has reportedly changed course completely and is now laser-focused on reclaiming his title from Strickland. “The rematch with Sean Strickland is the only fight that Khamzat wants, he is obsessed with it,” Chimaev’s team told ESPN. “That’s the only fight he will accept right now.