Khamzat Chimaev News
Nassourdine Imavov reacts to Sean Strickland vs. Khamzat Chimaev rematch talks after Dana White's admission
Curtis Calhoun - May 28, 2026
Top UFC middleweight contender Nassourdine Imavov’s long-awaited middleweight title shot might hit another speed bump. UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland shocked the world once again when he handed Khamzat Chimaev his first loss in the cage earlier this month at UFC 328. After months of bad blood between Strickland and Chimaev, the two middleweights went back-and-forth in one of the best fights of the year, with Strickland earning the split decision nod.
Dana White won't commit to Sean Strickland vs. Khamzat Chimaev rematch yet: "We don't know what we're going to do"
Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 28, 2026
UFC CEO Dana White isn’t sure whether or not a rematch between Sean Strickland and Khamzat Chimaev will be the next middleweight title fight. Strickland pulled off another big upset at the conclusion of UFC 328 in Newark on May 9. Chimaev was the sizable betting favorite, but he was forced to stand with Strickland after the opening frame. Strickland made it a dog fight and he earned the split decision victory to become a two-time UFC Middleweight Champion.
Khamzat Chimaev 'vomited green bile, almost died' during harrowing UFC 328 weight cut
Curtis Calhoun - May 27, 2026
Former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw shared horrific details of Khamzat Chimaev’s weight cut after a conversation with his team. The previously unbeaten Khamzat Chimaev’s first UFC middleweight title defense ended in him losing the belt to Sean Strickland in their UFC 328 grudge match. After a back-and-forth five rounds, Strickland earned a split decision nod on the scorecards to reclaim the middleweight throne.
Paulo Costa explains why he's moving on from Khamzat Chimaev feud: 'I don’t think this is going to happen'
Cole Shelton - May 25, 2026
Paulo Costa is moving on from a potential fight with Khamzat Chimaev. Costa and Chimaev had a feud for quite some time, and many fans wanted to see the fight. Yet, it didn’t happen at middleweight, and with Costa at light heavyweight, and Chimaev also moving up to light heavyweight, many fans thought the fight could happen next.
Islam Makhachev and Khamzat Chimaev slammed by King Green for boring style: "Some of the most horrible title fights I've ever seen"
Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 20, 2026
King Green is not a fan of how Islam Makhachev and Khamzat Chimaev handle business inside the Octagon. Green is known for his willingness to enter the fire in his UFC bouts, and it has earned him four “Fight of the Night” bonuses and three “Performance of the Night” bonuses, which becomes four if you include his lone “Submission of the Night.” At times, Green’s style has cost him with KO losses to the likes of Mauricio Ruffy and Jalin Turner, but he’s been able to bounce back from defeat several times.
Khamzat Chimaev nearly withdrew from UFC 328 due to horrific weight cut per Arman Tsarukyan
Curtis Calhoun - May 15, 2026
Former UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev barely made it to the scale at the UFC 328 official weigh-in and nearly withdrew. Before Khamzat Chimaev lost to Sean Strickland in the UFC 328 main event, he nearly lost the battle to the scales at last Friday’s official weigh-in.
PFL star Dakota Ditcheva scorches Ronda Rousey after brutal Khamzat Chimaev rant: 'Disgraceful'
Curtis Calhoun - May 15, 2026
PFL star Dakota Ditcheva isn’t a Ronda Rousey supporter anymore after her controversial comments about Khamzat Chimaev. UFC Hall of Famer Ronda Rousey is just hours away from her return to Mixed Martial Arts for the first time since losing to Amanda Nunes at UFC 207. Rousey and fellow women’s MMA pioneer Gina Carano headline a stacked card on Saturday in Los Angeles, put together by Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions.
Sean Strickland could've been more dominant against Khamzat Chimaev, says Daniel Cormier: "He really could've made Khamzat struggle"
Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 15, 2026
Daniel Cormier believes Sean Strickland could’ve had a more definitive win over Khamzat Chimaev with one change. Strickland secured his second UFC title when he earned a split nod over Chimaev on May 9. The two collided in the UFC 328 headliner. “Borz” put the middleweight title at stake inside the Prudential Center in Newark. Chimaev had early success with his grappling, but Strickland was able to thwart that area of his game throughout the fight.
Joe Rogan expresses concern for Khamzat Chimaev's RAF debut just weeks after UFC 328
Curtis Calhoun - May 14, 2026
Longtime UFC analyst Joe Rogan believes Khamzat Chimaev might be making a mistake in competing at RAF 10 so soon after UFC 328. Khamzat Chimaev suffered the first defeat of his otherwise stellar MMA career last Saturday at UFC 328.
Khamzat Chimaev losing at UFC 328 "doesn't make sense", per ex-UFC champ teammate: "Maybe they just wanted Sean [Strickland] to win"
Dylan Bowker - May 13, 2026
Khamzat Chimaev losing at UFC 328 to Sean Strickland has virtually everyone in the MMA world talking, including someone within the lineage of UFC middleweight champions throughout history. That referenced fighter is Luke Rockhold, who discussed this recent 185 pound title clash on the JAXXON Podcast. The former Strikeforce and UFC titleholder has well documented training interactions with ‘Borz’ in recent times and clearly has a certain rapport with Chimaev. Conversely, Rockhold and Strickland have their own history in a far more adversarial way. The two were booked to compete at UFC 268 before a herniated disc sustained in Rockhold’s back caused a withdrawal from the planned Strickland contest in November 2021.
UFC 328 beef between Sean Strickland and Khamzat Chimaev was real, insists head coach: "These dudes hated each other"
Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 13, 2026
Sean Strickland’s head coach vehemently denies that his fighter and Khamzat Chimaev manufactured their beef prior to UFC 328. Strickland and Chimaev shared some heated words in the buildup to this past Saturday’s middleweight title clash in Newark. It got to the point where the UFC brass put extra security between both men, and didn’t allow the two to face off during the ceremonial weigh-ins.
Khamzat Chimaev's UFC 328 loss was 'hard to watch' for Khalil Rountree: "Things took a big turn"
Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 13, 2026
Khamzat Chimaev’s loss at UFC 328 this past weekend took many by surprise, and that includes Khalil Rountree. Chimaev and Rountree are training partners and “The War Horse” fully expected “Borz” to handle business this past Saturday in Newark. Instead, Chimaev ran into some problems in the second stanza and was forced to engage in the standup throughout his bout against Sean Strickland. Ultimately, Strickland dethroned Chimaev via split decision to capture the UFC Middleweight Championship.
Georges St. Pierre believes Khamzat Chimaev "is a better fighter than Sean Strickland" but thinks latter can beat the former again
Dylan Bowker - May 12, 2026
Georges St. Pierre is a former UFC middleweight champion in his own right, and his thoughts on the recent Khamzat Chimaev versus Sean Strickland title clash at UFC 328 were something that GSP recently touched on. The former two-division UFC titleholder spoke about this to Mike Bohn during an interview with MMA Junkie. Khamzat Chimaev dropped his middleweight crown to former champ Sean Strickland by way of a split decision at UFC 328 on May 9th. GSP mentioned being surprised by how the bout played out, quipping about how incredible and amazing it is to see the body of work Strickland has been putting together in these big upsets capturing UFC hardware.
Khamzat Chimaev explains squashing Sean Strickland beef at UFC 328 after fan backlash
Curtis Calhoun - May 12, 2026
Former UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev explained why he exchanged pleasantries with Sean Strickland despite their past feud. For the first time in his UFC career, Khamzat Chimaev left the Octagon without his hand raised, as he lost to Sean Strickland in their highly anticipated grudge match at UFC 328. After months of bad blood between the former training partners, Chimaev and Strickland exchanged pleasantries just before, during, and after their UFC 328 headliner.
Demetrious Johnson points to Khamzat Chimaev's flawed training as major reason for UFC 328 loss
Curtis Calhoun - May 12, 2026
UFC Hall of Famer Demetrious Johnson believes Khamzat Chimaev’s poor showing at UFC 328 can be attributed to his training habits. Khamzat Chimaev suffered one of the biggest upsets in UFC history last weekend to Sean Strickland at UFC 328. Chimaev, previously unbeaten in his career, suffered a split decision loss to relinquish the UFC middleweight title.
Khamzat Chimaev booked for Dillon Danis bout just hours after shocking UFC 328 loss
Curtis Calhoun - May 12, 2026
Former UFC middleweight champ Khamzat Chimaev isn’t taking a lot of time off after his stunning loss to Sean Strickland. Khamzat Chimaev’s first UFC middleweight title defense ended in disaster as he lost to former titleholder Sean Strickland by split decision last Saturday at UFC 328. After a dominant run in the Octagon, Chimaev suffered his first career defeat to Strickland and looked lackadaisical from Round 2 onward.
Khamzat Chimaev may have lost his aura after UFC 328 loss, says Dustin Poirier: "It's going to be tough for him to intimidate"
Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 12, 2026
Khamzat Chimaev may have lost his intimidation factor if Dustin Poirier’s assessment proves to be true. Chimaev suffered the first loss of his pro MMA career this past Saturday and dropped the UFC Middleweight Championship in the process. “Borz” failed to make his first title defense a successful one in the UFC 328 main event. Sean Strickland had an answer for Chimaev’s grappling after the opening frame, and he made their title bout a dog fight.
What's next for the stars of UFC 328?
Cole Shelton - May 11, 2026
The UFC was in Newark, New Jersey, on Saturday for a solid UFC 328 fight card that saw two titles on the line. The main event saw Khamzat Chimaev defending his middleweight title against Sean Strickland. The co-main event saw Joshua Van putting his flyweight title on the line against Tatsuro Taira. In the end, it was Strickland who edged out a split decision to pull off a massive upset. Van, meanwhile, scored a TKO win over Taira to defend his flyweight title for the first time. Following UFC 328, here is what I think should be next for the stars of the event.