Brendan Schaub believes a UFC middleweight title fight between Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland is too good to pass on.
Strickland recently turned in a stellar performance against Anthony Hernandez in the UFC Houston headliner. A perfectly timed knee to the body, followed by a barrage of punches led to a TKO finish for the former 185-pound champion. It was such a highly regarded showing that some are calling for Strickland to be the first challenger for Chimaev’s middleweight gold.
During a recent edition of “The Schaub Show,” Schaub shared his take that Chimaev vs. Strickland is the next 185-pound title fight to make (via MMAJunkie).
“Sean Strickland is one of their only stars,” Schaub said. “There’s probably 10 of them; he’s one of the 10. It gains traction. The UFC will use this as fuel for the next fight. If you think Imavov is getting the next title shot, you don’t know how this business works. Strickland beat him on days’ notice, so that doesn’t make much sense. Strickland is such a bigger star, which they’re dying for. Him vs. Khamzat is already on a platter. It’s right there.”
During his UFC Houston post-fight interview, Strickland called for a clash with Chimaev. He admitted that he doesn’t know when “Borz” will even be available to fight. Chimaev hasn’t competed since winning the middleweight title back in Aug. 2025 and his next outing hasn’t been determined.
While Nassourdine Imavov was initially thought to be the clear No. 1 contender, his early 2023 loss to Strickland might come back to haunt him. Stick with BJPenn.com for the latest updates on the UFC middleweight title picture.
Do you think Sean Strickland’s performance against Anthony Hernandez is enough to get him a title fight against Khamzat Chimaev? Do you think someone else should get the opportunity? Sound off in the comments below.