The team of former UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev said that he wants an immediate rematch against Sean Strickland.
Chimaev lost his belt by split decision in the main event of UFC 328. It was a razor-close fight, but at the end of 25 minutes, two of the three cageside judges sided with Strickland and gave him the win. With the victory, Strickland now becomes a two-time UFC middleweight champion, while Chimaev is left scrambling and looking for answers.
Khamzat Chimaev Wants Rematch with Sean Strickland
In the immediate aftermath of UFC 328, UFC president Dana White said that Chimaev told him he is moving up to light heavyweight for his next bout. However, it looks like Chimaev has had a change of heart, as in the days after the fight, he has been messaging Strickland on social media, hinting at a rematch. Now, we know for sure that’s what he wants.
As reported by ESPN, Chimaev’s team issued a statement on Tuesday saying that Chimaev is “obsessed” with a rematch against Strickland. According to Chimaev’s team, he won’t take any other fight offered by the UFC, as he has his sights set on fighting his rival Strickland again.
“The rematch with Sean Strickland is the only fight that Khamzat wants, he is obsessed with it. That’s the only fight he will accept right now,” Chimaev’s team said in the statement.
It will be interesting to see what the UFC decides to do here. Since the fight between Chimaev and Strickland was so close, a rematch certainly makes sense, especially since this was one of the biggest UFC fights of the year. At the same time, Chimaev had zero successful title defenses after winning the UFC middleweight title from Dricus Du Plessis last August at UFC 319. Based on the fact that he was not a long-reigning champion, giving him an immediate rematch feels like a dangerous precedent, especially since other middleweight contenders are waiting in the wings.
Nassourdine Imavov Also Wants Rematch
In addition to Chimaev wanting a rematch against Strickland, another fighter who previously lost to the new UFC middleweight champion wants a rematch. Nassourdine Imavov, whom Strickland beat by unanimous decision in January 2023 in a light heavyweight bout that he took on short notice, has also called out the new champ for a chance to fight for the belt.
Imavov has won five straight fights, including a knockout win over UFC middleweight legend Israel Adesanya last year. However, he has been left in the dust as the UFC booked the grudge match between Strickland and Chimaev first before he got his title shot. There is no doubt that Imavov is deserving of fighting for the belt next, but if the UFC decides to go with the bigger fight, then he may once again have to wait for Strickland and Chimaev to settle their score.
We will likely find out soon what the UFC intends to do, but given Strickland and Chimaev both took tons of damage in their fight, they likely wouldn’t step back into the cage until the end of the year, giving the UFC matchmakers plenty of time to decide what they want to do here.
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