Khamzat Chimaev wants Sean Strickland rematch in Abu Dhabi

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Just a few days after losing his middleweight title, Khamzat Chimaev has already put in a formal request for a rematch.

In the UFC 328 main event, Sean Strickland pulled off another stunning upset, taking the title from Khamzat Chimaev in his first defence.

Chimaev started well in the first round but quickly ran out of steam, adding weight to rumours that he struggled through a difficult weight cut leading up to the fight.

Right after the fight, he told Dana White that he planned to move up to 205 pounds. But just days later, he’s completely reversed that decision.

Khamzat Chimaev asks UFC for immediate Sean Strickland rematch

Photo by Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images

And after years of being dominant, Dustin Poirier, a legend of the UFC, says that Chimaev will find it hard to intimidate his next opponent because he has “lost his aura”.

Even though he told White otherwise right away, Chimaev’s brother has confirmed to SportsRu that ‘Borz’ has made an official request for a rematch against Strickland.

“There’s an event in Abu Dhabi in October and we want to do it there. Khamzat isn’t the type of person to move to another weight class and leave unanswered questions behind. We want that second fight. Right now we have no other goals,” he said.

His brother also revealed more details about his poor weight cut, stating that at one point, Chimaev had to choose between continuing to cut weight or pulling out of the fight altogether.

Joe Rogan tried to defend Chimaev’s performance by saying he was initially preparing for a 205lb bout against Jiri Prochazka, and this has now been backed up by his brother, who mentioned there were contracts already signed for that fight.