Khamzat Chimaev wants rematch with Sean Strickland after UFC 328 title loss: 'The only fight he'll accept'

"He literally walked up to me after the fight and said, 'I want to move up. I don't want to fight in the weight class anymore,'" White said.

There was speculation heading into UFC 328 that Chimaev struggled with his weight cut. Spectators pointed to his body language at the official weigh-ins and noticeable fatigue in the second round as evidence. Chimaev's brother claimed that his body shut down while shedding the last few pounds to make their middleweight title fight.

"There was a problem with the weight cut," Artur said. "The question became whether to cancel the fight or take the risk. When there was [2.7 pounds] left, his body shut down... Oxygen deprivation. His body malfunctioned. We had to stop for an hour because his health wouldn't allow him to continue... Khamzat himself said he didn't know how he'd fight in that condition."

Artur attributes the challenging weight cut to a change in preparation. Chimaev was allegedly anticipating a fight with former light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka before being notified of his middleweight title defense. As a result, Chimaev was heavier than usual heading into a middleweight training camp.

"There was an agreement with the UFC that he would fight Jiri Prochazka at 205. The contract was already prepared, but then they asked him to fight Sean instead," Artur said. "...So he accepted and decided to cut from [231 pounds] down to [185 pounds]. By fight time, he had only regained around [11-13 pounds]... Two weeks before the fight, he weighed [214 pounds]."

Very few believed Strickland could end Chimaev's undefeated streak on Saturday. Chimaev largely seemed unstoppable on his rise. He was coming off dominant consecutive wins over former champions, including Dricus du Plessis, whom Strickland twice lost to. Ultimately, Strickland snuck away with a narrow decision that had the judges, analysts, and fans split.