Khamzat Chimaev vows to take Sean Strickland’s head off in rematch: “I lost for the judges”

Khamzat Chimaev continues to target a rematch with Sean Strickland, and he insists things will play out far differently.

Chimaev put the UFC Middleweight Championship at stake against Strickland back in May. The title fight headlined UFC 328 in Newark. “Borz” was able to take Strickland down early, but he couldn’t find consistency in the grappling for the rest of the night. It allowed Strickland to make things a dog fight all the way to the final horn.

Two of the three judges agreed that Strickland deserved to get the nod, and he was awarded the split decision and his second UFC title. While UFC CEO Dana White claimed Chimaev initially told him he would be moving up in weight, “Borz” has since called for a 185-pound title rematch.

During the RAF 10 press conference ahead of his freestyle wrestling match with Dillon Danis, Chimaev told reporters that his focus remains on another clash with Strickland (via MMAFighting).

“Of course, I’m going to go rematch [Sean Strickland],” Chimaev said. “I don’t lose the fight, I lost for the judges. Next time, I’m going to go take his head off.

“But I trying to get him, he doesn’t want to go out to the gym. He’s speaking about his shoulder. I’m just waiting on Dana [White], Hunter [Campbell] to bring the guy out to the cage.”

Chimaev’s defeat to Strickland is currently the lone loss in his pro MMA career. Many within Chimaev’s team, including Arman Tsarukyan, believe that a brutal weight cut is to blame for the performance at UFC 328. Others feel “Borz” could be making a mistake by refusing to move to light heavyweight at this time.

Would you rather see a rematch between Sean Strickland and Khamzat Chimaev, or should Nassourdine Imavov be given the next UFC middleweight title shot? Drop a comment to let us know what you think.