Khamzat Chimaev wants Sean Strickland again, and he says a change of division won’t save the champ. Chimaev vowed to pursue Strickland across weight classes, according to a Bloody Elbow post on X on Tuesday that carried his three-word version of the plan: “Wherever he goes.”
The grudge dates to May. At UFC 328, Strickland snapped Chimaev’s dominant run and walked out a two-time UFC middleweight champion. That loss put Chimaev on a list nobody wants to be on in 2026. ACD MMA counted the UFC fighters who lost their undefeated records this year, and Chimaev sits there next to Ilia Topuria, Lerone Murphy, Movsar Evloev and Gable Steveson.
Strickland’s road back to the belt took a while. He won UFC gold in 2023, lost it in his first defense, then fought his way back into a title shot and cashed it against the guy most people figured would hold 185 for years. He’s 31-7, and the pound-for-pound voters have noticed. Uncrowned’s October panel moved him up a spot to No. 7, and a separate Yahoo Sports list released after UFC 333 had him ninth.
View post on X
Chimaev hasn’t fallen off the ballots either. He picked up votes in the Uncrowned rankings, and Conner Burks had him No. 9 on his personal list.
The Bloody Elbow post doesn’t say which division Chimaev expects Strickland to land in. Nothing in the reporting shows Strickland has announced a move away from middleweight, either. So for now Chimaev is promising to follow a guy who, as far as anyone has said publicly, is staying exactly where he is.
View post on X
Strickland’s own week has been about money and paperwork. Uncrowned noted he cooled off after a social media rant about his pay, especially once it became clear he’s locked in for five more fights on his current deal. Uncrowned guessed Nassourdine Imavov gets the next crack at him. That’s a guess from the panel, not a booking, and the UFC hasn’t announced anything.
That’s where Chimaev’s threat gets complicated. If Strickland stays at 185 and Imavov really is next, the fastest way for Chimaev to find his man is to stay put, win, and wait his turn. Following Strickland anywhere sounds great on a hype video. In practice the UFC controls the next five fights on that contract, and Chimaev doesn’t.
View post on X
I’ll take it anyway. A former unbeaten wrecking ball openly hunting the guy who handed him his first loss is the kind of fight talk I want more of, and it beats a cryptic emoji any day. Strickland answers questions straight, Chimaev apparently does too, and the rematch makes sense at middleweight or anywhere else the matchmakers want to put it. Book it at 185 after Strickland’s next defense and let Chimaev prove he meant every word.
