Hamzat Chimaev has stated that he only lost to Sean Strickland in the judges' eyes and remains eager for a rematch. Chimaev says Strickland is avoiding him, citing a shoulder injury as an excuse. He is waiting on UFC president Dana White and Hunter Campbell to put Strickland back in the cage with him.
Hamzat Chimaev has gone public with his frustration over the middleweight title picture, disputing his judges' loss to Sean Strickland and demanding UFC brass arrange a rematch.
Chimaev insists the defeat existed only on the scorecards and not in the cage, and he is placing the blame squarely on Strickland for what he describes as deliberate avoidance. Chimaev claims Strickland is using a shoulder injury as a convenient shield to stay out of a second fight, and he has called on UFC president Dana White and Hunter Campbell to force the matchup.
Sean Strickland, nicknamed "Tarzan," is the reigning middleweight champion at 35 years old, representing the United States out of Xtreme Couture. The six-foot-one, 185-centimeter southpaw holds a 31-7-0 professional record and brings one of the most relentless output games in the division, landing 6.04 significant strikes per minute with a 76-inch reach that helps him dictate range and volume.
Why it matters
- Strickland is the sitting middleweight champion, making any rematch a direct title fight with immediate divisional consequences.
- Chimaev's challenge puts pressure on the UFC to either confirm or deny Strickland's availability, with the shoulder injury claim unverified.
- A high-volume striker in Strickland against the wrestling-heavy pressure Chimaev brings creates a genuine stylistic argument for why a second fight could resolve nothing cleanly on paper.
Chimaev's public appeal to White and Campbell signals he believes internal lobbying alone has not moved the needle, and he is now choosing to apply pressure through the media.
