Chimaev calls out Strickland on social media after UFC 328 loss

Khamzat Chimaev took to social media in the days following UFC 328 to call out Sean Strickland, continuing a public rivalry between the two middleweights that shows no sign of cooling down.

Chimaev, known as "Borz," enters the conversation from the top of the middleweight rankings. The 30-year-old — now 32 and representing the United Arab Emirates out of Allstars Training Center — carries a 15-1-0 record and sits at number one in the division, with a top-ten pound-for-pound ranking to match. His style is built around relentless pressure: he averages 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes and attempts nearly two submissions in the same span, while landing strikes at a 60 percent accuracy rate, one of the more remarkable numbers in the sport.

Strickland, meanwhile, has just suffered a loss at UFC 328, the event that appears to have prompted Chimaev's latest message. "Tarzan" holds a 31-7-0 record and carries champion status in the middleweight division. The 35-year-old American, trained out of Xtreme Couture, is one of the busier strikers in the weight class, landing 6.04 significant strikes per minute, though his accuracy sits at 42 percent. Standing six-foot-one with a 76-inch reach, he has long been a physical and mental presence at 185 pounds.

Why it matters

• Chimaev is the number-one-ranked middleweight, making a callout of the division's champion a logical title shot demand
• Strickland's loss at UFC 328 could open the door to a mandatory or high-profile contender matchup
• The contrasting styles — Chimaev's elite grappling versus Strickland's high-volume striking — represent a genuine stylistic collision at 185 pounds
• Their ongoing social media back-and-forth suggests both fighters are personally invested in the matchup, not just professionally