Khamzat Chimaev renewed his push for a rematch with UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland on October 27, speaking in Las Vegas at Real American Freestyle 14. The Chechen contender said he would follow Strickland up to light heavyweight, or even heavyweight, to make the fight happen.
A declaration made at a wrestling event
Chimaev was in Las Vegas to face Robbie Lawler in a catchweight wrestling crossover bout on the Real American Freestyle 14 card, an event outside the UFC that also featured Arman Tsarukyan defeating Dillon Danis. He used the moment to address his unfinished business with Strickland.
“We will make the matchup, don’t worry,” Chimaev said, casting himself as the pursuer rather than the pursued. “I’m the hunter. He’s a chicken running away,” he added.
On the mat, Chimaev beat Robbie Lawler by a 10-0 wrestling score, the bout stopped with 20 seconds left in the first round after a series of takedowns and a reversal. The UFC has also floated a future wrestling bout for Chimaev against Colby Covington in Abu Dhabi, unrelated to his middleweight business.
A rematch pending since May
Strickland beat Chimaev by split decision on May 9, 2026, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, to take the UFC middleweight title and end Chimaev’s unbeaten professional record. Judges scored the five-round fight 48-47, 48-47 and 47-48 for Strickland. The two had traded heated words for weeks before the bout, then embraced inside the Octagon once the decision was read. Strickland later said much of the pre-fight hostility was exaggerated to help sell the fight.
Questions over Chimaev’s activity
Chimaev has not fought twice in the same calendar year since 2022, a pace that outlets including Yahoo Sports have flagged as hard to square with talk of an immediate rematch. He has repeatedly cited injuries, including to his hand, for the gap, without giving a firm return date. Spending fight week at a wrestling event rather than booking an Octagon date has only added to that skepticism, even if it has not softened his public stance. Strickland, by contrast, has stayed active and outspoken since winning the belt, keeping himself at the center of the division’s biggest storylines.
A title picture already clouded by a pay dispute
MMA Official reported on October 22 that Strickland remained stuck in a financial disagreement with the UFC over a title fight against Nassourdine Imavov. The Frenchman, on a five-fight winning streak, is widely seen as next in line for the belt. Imavov already beat Strickland by decision in January 2023, in a light heavyweight bout fought before Strickland became middleweight champion. A bout between the two has been floated for a December 12 card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, though the UFC has not confirmed it.
Chimaev’s renewed comments add fresh uncertainty over who Strickland faces next, and over when Imavov’s own title opportunity will materialize. Chimaev himself has said he would be open to fighting Imavov for the belt if Strickland vacated it, citing the bigger payday that comes with holding a title.
Chimaev open to moving up in weight
Chimaev normally competes at middleweight, the 185-pound (84 kg) limit, but said he is willing to move up to light heavyweight, 205 pounds (93 kg), or even heavyweight to chase Strickland if the champion changes divisions. “Light heavyweight, heavyweight, wherever he goes, we go after him,” he said. “If he goes up, I go up.” No date or official agreement for a new fight between the two men has been announced by the UFC, and promotion officials have made no public commitment on how the situation will be resolved.
A third Strickland fight against either man would carry different stakes. Imavov already has a win over Strickland on his record, while Chimaev is chasing the one result missing from his own. Both scenarios would settle unfinished business built up over several years in the division.
The UFC middleweight picture remains worth watching over the coming weeks as this situation develops. Track every ranked contender on our UFC rankings page, and see where American fighters stand on our American UFC fighters page.
