Updated

Updated · MMA Junkie · Sep 17

Chimaev Enters 3rd Wrestling Match Since UFC 328 Loss, Pushes for Middleweight Title Rematch

Updated

Updated · MMA Junkie · Sep 17

Chimaev Enters 3rd Wrestling Match Since UFC 328 Loss, Pushes for Middleweight Title Rematch

Q: Dana White hinted at a division change, so is Chimaev's middleweight title demand a cover for his brutal weight-cutting struggles?

Probably yes at least in part: Chimaev’s renewed insistence on staying at middleweight looks as much like positioning for another title shot as it does a full rebuttal of the weight-cut concerns. The strongest evidence is not Dana White’s hint alone, but the pattern around UFC 328. White said Chimaev told him after losing to Sean Strickland that he wanted to move up to light heavyweight. Chimaev’s camp also acknowledged the cut was a problem, with his brother saying his body “shut down,” and his coach claiming the team had been preparing for a possible 205-pound fight before being switched back to a 185-pound title defense. Chimaev himself has downplayed specifics but admitted there were “mistakes” and has avoided denying the cut was brutal. That context makes his current message — “Until we break everybody at 185, I’m not going anywhere” — sound partly strategic. By framing himself as the No. 1 contender who believes he did enough to beat Strickland, Chimaev keeps leverage in a division where an immediate rematch or a shot at the Strickland-Imavov winner is still plausible. At the same time, it would be overstating the case to call it pure cover. Chimaev is still asking for top middleweights, says he is healthy apart from minor hand issues, and has not publicly committed to 205. For now, the clearest reading is that his middleweight title demand serves two purposes: preserving his place in the queue and avoiding a public concession that 185 may no longer be sustainable.

3 articles · Updated · MMA Junkie · Sep 17

RAF 13 on Friday will feature Khamzat Chimaev’s third wrestling match since his split-decision loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 328, with Gilbert Burns set as his opponent.
That run comes after Chimaev lost the middleweight belt and took the first defeat of his career — a 48-47, 47-48, 48-47 split decision he says the judges got wrong.
Chimaev said only minor hand issues remain and that he is training for an MMA return, while still seeking another shot at the title.
The former champion said he wants either an immediate rematch with Strickland or a fight with the winner if Strickland instead faces No. 3 contender Nassourdine Imavov.