Hamzat Chimaev says he believes he won his fight against Sean Strickland and that the result came down solely to the judges' decision. Chimaev says he has been trying to secure a rematch but claims Strickland has been avoiding training and citing a shoulder injury. He says he is waiting for UFC leadership to force the fight.
Hamzat Chimaev has broken his silence on his middleweight loss to Sean Strickland, insisting he was the better fighter on the night and that only the judges' scorecards went against him.
Chimaev expressed his belief that he won the contest and directed his frustration squarely at what happens next. He says he has been actively pushing for a rematch, but claims Strickland has been unavailable, citing a shoulder injury and a lack of training activity. With negotiations apparently stalled, Chimaev says he is now waiting on UFC leadership to intervene and compel the fight to happen.
Strickland, the reigning middleweight champion, carries a professional record of 31-7-0 and is 35 years old. Fighting out of Xtreme Couture, the American operates from an orthodox stance and stands six-foot-one with a 76-inch reach. His output is among the busiest in the division, averaging 6.04 significant strikes landed per minute at 42 percent accuracy — numbers that reflect a pressure-heavy, volume-striking style that made the Chimaev contest a genuinely contested affair.
Why it matters
- Chimaev's public campaign keeps pressure on the UFC to book the rematch, with the middleweight title directly at stake
- Strickland's shoulder injury claim, if legitimate, complicates the timeline for any return fight
- A volume striker against a wrestler creates the kind of style matchup that divides judging panels, lending some credibility to Chimaev's grievance
- The 185-pound division remains unsettled while the champion's availability is in question
