Khamzat Chimaev has apparently changed his mind about moving up in weight class after UFC 328. Following the event, Chimaev sent a message to Sean Strickland indicating they will meet again soon. This suggests Chimaev may be reconsidering his previously stated intention to move to light heavyweight. The tone of the message implies Chimaev is interested in a rematch at middleweight. No official announcement has been made about a second fight between the two. The post indicates this was a direct communication from Chimaev to Strickland.
Khamzat Chimaev sent a pointed message to Sean Strickland in the aftermath of UFC 328 on May 9, telling the middleweight champion "we'll see each other again soon" — a signal that Chimaev may be walking back his stated plans to move up to light heavyweight.
Chimaev, 32, enters this picture as the number-one ranked middleweight contender and sits at number ten in the UFC pound-for-pound rankings. Fighting out of Allstars Training Center and representing the United Arab Emirates, "Borz" carries a 15-1-0 record built heavily on his elite grappling. He averages 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes and attempts nearly two submissions per 15 minutes, complementing a striking accuracy of 60 percent — among the highest in the division.
Strickland, meanwhile, holds the middleweight title at 31-7-0. The 35-year-old American out of Xtreme Couture is a volume striker who lands 6.04 significant strikes per minute with a 76-inch reach at six-foot-one. His pressure-heavy, high-output style has defined his championship run and makes him one of the more durable and distinctive champions in the weight class.
No official rematch announcement has been made by the UFC, and Chimaev's message stops short of a formal callout. The communication appears to be a direct statement to Strickland rather than a public promotional post, though its intent reads clearly as interest in a second fight at 185 pounds.
Why it matters
- Chimaev is the top-ranked middleweight contender, making a rematch an immediately title-relevant matchup
- His apparent reversal on moving to light heavyweight keeps the middleweight division's clearest number-one contender in place
- A Chimaev grappling-versus-Strickland volume striking rematch presents one of the division's most compelling stylistic contrasts
Saturday, May 9, 2026
