Dana White reveals news Khamzat Chimaev shared with him after losing title at UFC 328

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - MAY 09: Khamzat Chimaev of Russia sits on his stool between rounds against Sean Strickland in the UFC middleweight championship fight during the UFC 328 event at Prudential Center on May 09, 2026 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

Khamzat Chimaev dropped a close split decision to Sean Strickland in the UFC 328 main event, but don’t expect an immediate rematch even if that was something the now-former champion wanted.

Following a back-and-forth battle across five rounds, Chimaev’s first title defense ended with the middleweight belt being wrapped around Strickland’s waist. Post-fight, Chimaev put the belt on Strickland as they squashed their beef and it appears the disdain shared between them went away after they settled their rivalry.

After suffering the first loss of his professional career, Chimaev approached UFC CEO Dana White to share the news that he wouldn’t be gunning for another shot at the middleweight title.

“[Khamzat] literally walked up to me after the fight and said ‘I want to move up. I don’t want to fight in this weight class anymore,’” White revealed at the UFC 328 post-fight press conference.

Chimaev had already teased his interest in moving up to 205 pounds even before his title defense Saturday but it looks like that decision has already been made. Even before he set foot in the octagon, Chimaev appeared to struggle mightily on the scale during the official weigh-ins on Friday with Strickland actually accusing him of failing to make weight for the title fight.

Regardless, Chimaev fought in the UFC 328 main event and after a dominant opening round, his conditioning seemed to fade. Despite the struggles and largely abandoning his wrestling for the majority of the fight, Chimaev still found a second wind and gave Strickland everything he could handle until the final horn sounded.