Khamzat Chimaev wants an immediate title-fight rematch with Sean Strickland, and it’s the only bout he’s interested in taking.<\/p>\n
“The rematch with Sean Strickland is the only fight that Khamzat wants. He is obsessed with it,” his team told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto<\/a>. “That’s the only fight he will accept right now.”<\/p>\n Chimaev, who entered UFC 328 with a perfect 15-0-0 record, suffered his first loss to Strickland via split decision Saturday. Chimaev surrendered UFC’s middleweight title after two judges scored the closely contested fight 48-47 for Strickland.<\/p>\n The following night, Chimaev hinted at wanting a rematch by tagging Strickland in a post on X.<\/p>\n Let me know when you are ready @SStricklandMMA<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) May 11, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n However, UFC CEO Dana White said that Chimaev plans on moving up to the light heavyweight division.<\/p>\n “He literally walked up to me after the fight and said, ‘I want to move up. I don’t want to fight in this weight class anymore.’ … Him moving up is exciting,” White said<\/a> during a postfight press conference.<\/p>\n Chimaev dominated Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 319 last August to secure the middleweight belt before failing to defend his title Saturday.<\/p>\n With the victory, Strickland joined Israel Adesanya as the only two-time middleweight champion in UFC history.<\/p>\n