UFC president Dana White commented on a potential rematch between Khamzat Chimaev and new UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland.
At UFC 328 earlier this month, Chimaev lost the middleweight strap when he dropped a close split decision to Strickland in a very competitive title fight. Following the bout, White said that Chimaev would be moving up to 205 lbs. But Chimaev took to his social media not long after the fight was over to say that his sights were set on fighting Strickland for a second time at 185 lbs.
Dana White Comments on Potential Khamzat Chimaev vs. Sean Strickland Rematch
Speaking to MLB legend Bret Boone on his podcast, White was asked if the UFC was considering booking a rematch between Chimaev and Strickland for the belt. Here’s what the UFC president said.
“Khamzat, right now, is asking for the rematch with Strickland. That’s what he wants. We don’t know what we’re going to do yet,” White said.
After UFC 328, White said that Nassourdine Imavov would be next in line to fight Strickland for the UFC middleweight title, as he’s been waiting quite a long time for a title shot. But given the way the UFC 328 main event bout between Chimaev and Strickland played out, it seems like White and the UFC are at least considering booking the rematch.
Asked if Strickland would be okay with fighting Chimaev again, White said he would be down to fight anyone.
“Oh, Strickland will fight anybody,” White said.
What Will the UFC Do?
The UFC is in a tough spot here because the first Strickland vs. Chimaev fight was a grudge match for the ages, with a buildup that led to a very close, competitive fight.
With stories emerging post-fight about Chimaev suffering through an absolutely brutal weight cut, the question is, how much did the weight cut affect him, and if he can get down to 185 lbs safely and healthily, would the rematch go differently? It’s difficult to know.
As good a fighter as Chimaev is, one thing to keep in mind is that he never successfully defended the UFC middleweight title once before losing it to Strickland. After all, it was last August at UFC 319 that Chimaev took the best from former champion Dricus du Plessis in a five-round drubbing. Strickland was his first title defense, and he failed to get the job done.
The UFC very rarely will give a former champion an immediate title shot to try and get their belt back if they never defended their title once, so if Chimaev does get the title shot, it would be somewhat of a rarity. But if the UFC thinks the Strickland vs. Chimaev 2 bout is the biggest middleweight fight they can book right now, then they’ll likely book it.
Ultimately, we’ll have to wait and see what happens, but look for White and the UFC to decide on a rematch between those rivals in the coming weeks, so they can give Imavov some clarity and get the middleweight division moving once again.
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