TLDR
- Khamzat Chimaev’s team says he will only accept a rematch with Sean Strickland after losing at UFC 328 by split decision
- Chimaev’s camp has requested the fight for October in Abu Dhabi and says he won’t move weight classes until he gets revenge
- UFC CEO Dana White claimed Chimaev wanted to move to light heavyweight, contradicting statements from his team
- Chimaev’s brother blamed a difficult weight cut for the loss, saying his body shut down during the final pounds
- Legendary referee John McCarthy and Dana White both agreed the judges made the right decision giving Strickland the win
Sources: CBS Sports | Heavy.com | GiveMeSport | ESPN
Khamzat Chimaev is demanding an immediate rematch with Sean Strickland after losing the UFC middleweight title fight at UFC 328 last week. His team says it’s the only fight he will accept right now.
Strickland won the fight by split decision with scorecards of 48-47, 47-48, and 48-47. The fight came down to the fifth and final round, which two judges gave to Strickland.
“The rematch with Sean Strickland is the only fight that Khamzat wants; he is obsessed with it,” Chimaev’s team told ESPN. “That’s the only fight he will accept right now.”
Chimaev’s brother Artur said they have requested a rematch in October at an event in Abu Dhabi. The UFC has not announced any events past August 15, but Abu Dhabi has become a regular location for the promotion in October.
“Khamzat isn’t the type of person to move to another weight class and leave unanswered questions behind,” Artur told sports.ru. “We want the second fight. Right now we have no other goals.”
The moment @SStricklandMMA regained the UFC middleweight title at #UFC328! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/flst5hrnU6
— UFC (@ufc) May 10, 2026
Conflicting Reports About Weight Class Move
Chimaev’s camp is contradicting statements made by UFC CEO Dana White after the fight. White told reporters that Chimaev said he wanted to move up to light heavyweight.
“He literally walked up to me after the fight and said, ‘I want to move up. I don’t want to fight in the weight class anymore,'” White said at the post-fight press conference.
However, Artur claims his brother had a serious problem with the weight cut before UFC 328. He said Chimaev’s body shut down when he had 2.7 pounds left to lose.
“When there was 2.7 pounds left, his body shut down… Oxygen deprivation,” Artur said. “We had to stop for an hour because his health wouldn’t allow him to continue.”
Artur explained that Chimaev was preparing for a fight at light heavyweight against former champion Jiri Prochazka before being asked to fight Strickland instead. This meant Chimaev had to cut from 231 pounds down to 185 pounds.
“Two weeks before the fight, he weighed 214 pounds,” Artur said. By fight time, Chimaev had only regained around 11-13 pounds.
Judges Defended by Officials
Legendary MMA referee John McCarthy said the judges made the right decision in giving Strickland the win. Speaking on the “Weighing In” podcast, McCarthy explained why Strickland deserved the fifth round.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re going forward. Forward motion is nothing if there is not effective shots being landed,” McCarthy said. “Sean ends up peppering you with that jab, lands the right hand a couple times, and he lands the most effective strikes by quite a considerable amount to win the round.”
McCarthy said Chimaev won the first round easily while Strickland won the second. The third and fourth rounds were split between them, making the fifth round decisive.
Despite Chimaev getting a takedown in the final round, McCarthy said he did no damage before Strickland got back up. UFC president Dana White also agreed with the judges’ scorecards.
The fight marked one of the biggest upsets in UFC title history. Chimaev entered the bout undefeated and was coming off dominant wins over former champions including Dricus du Plessis, whom Strickland had lost to twice.
Strickland has been suspended indefinitely pending medical clearance after the fight. The suspension is standard protocol and requires a full evaluation before the champion can compete again.
