In an interview with Vadim Tikhomirov, Khamzat Chimaev's older brother Saeed explained that Khamzat performed poorly against Strickland due to a brutal weight cut. When the fight was announced in March, Chimaev weighed 105 kg expecting to fight Jan Prochazka at light heavyweight. Two weeks before UFC 328, he still weighed 97 kg, and when he had only 1.2 kg left to lose, his body shut down before he eventually made weight after a one-hour break. After weigh-ins, Chimaev only regained 5-6 kg before the fight. Chimaev's team has now requested a rematch with Strickland at middleweight in October in Abu Dhabi.
Khamzat Chimaev's older brother Saeed has offered an explanation for the middleweight contender's underwhelming showing against Sean Strickland at UFC 328 on May 9, pointing to a catastrophic weight cut as the primary cause of his brother's diminished performance.
Speaking in an interview with Vadim Tikhomirov, Saeed revealed that when the fight was first announced in March, Chimaev was walking around at 105 kg, having originally prepared to compete at light heavyweight against Jan Prochazka. The opponent switch forced an emergency cut to middleweight, and with just two weeks remaining before fight week, Chimaev still weighed 97 kg. The situation became critical in the final stretch: with only 1.2 kg left to shed, his body effectively shut down, forcing a one-hour break before he was ultimately able to make weight. The ordeal left him severely depleted, and he managed to rehydrate by only 5 to 6 kg before stepping into the cage.
Chimaev, 32, entered UFC 328 ranked first in the middleweight division and tenth on the pound-for-pound list, carrying a record of 15 wins and just one loss. Standing six-foot-two with a 75-inch reach, the UAE-based Allstars Training Center product is one of the division's most dangerous wrestlers, averaging 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes alongside a striking accuracy of 60 percent.
He faced Strickland, the reigning middleweight champion, who at 35 holds a 31-7-0 record and fights out of Xtreme Couture. The American is renowned for his relentless output, landing 6.04 significant strikes per minute with a 76-inch reach that helps him control distance from an orthodox stance.
Why it matters
- The weight cut explanation reframes the loss as a circumstantial failure rather than a definitive measure of the matchup between these two fighters.
- Chimaev's team has already requested a rematch at middleweight in October in Abu Dhabi, which would put the middleweight title back on the line if sanctioned.
- A Chimaev operating at full capacity presents a starkly different stylistic threat to Strickland, whose output-heavy striking game would be tested by elite-level grappling pressure.
Saturday, May 9, 2026
