Chimaev calls himself 'the real champion' and rejects his UFC 328 loss to Strickland

Khamzat Chimaev says he never lost his middleweight title to Sean Strickland. In an MMA Junkie interview published on Friday, November 6, he said he should face the winner of Strickland's first title defence, according to Heavy.

"People say I lost the match, but I'm the real champion."

Strickland beat Chimaev by split decision at UFC 328 in Newark on May 9. No public reply from Strickland or the UFC had turned up by Sunday.

What Chimaev said

Chimaev's argument rests on his ranking. "It should be the winner because I'm the No. 1 contender, and I didn't lose that match," he said. The official UFC rankings back up the first part: he is No. 1 at middleweight, ahead of Dricus Du Plessis and Imavov.

He isn't asking to jump ahead of Imavov. "Hopefully very soon, but it's not about me right now," he said, adding that he would fight anyone the UFC offers. He also took a shot at Strickland, who is holding out over pay: "He's always crying about something, so I'm just being ready."

The comments also mean he's staying at 185 pounds, which doesn't match what Dana White said in May. At the UFC 328 press conference, White said Chimaev told him after the fight that he wanted to move up, according to MMA Sucka. In September he told LowKickMMA: "Until we break everybody at 185 [pounds], I am not going anywhere."

He hasn't fought since May. Heavy reports he has been taking wrestling matches in RAF in the meantime.

The fight he says he won

Two judges scored UFC 328 48-47 for Strickland and one had it 48-47 for Chimaev (Wikipedia). It was Chimaev's first pro loss, dropping him to 15-1.

In theScore's round-by-round account, Chimaev took the first with a takedown 15 seconds in and won the fourth. Strickland had about three minutes of top control in the second, then fought off takedowns and outlanded him in the fifth. The third was close and stayed on the feet.

Chimaev put the belt on Strickland in the cage that night, Cageside Press reported. His stance now is a clear change from that.

Chimaev closed at −500, an 80% chance, with Strickland at +375 (Chimaev, Strickland). Chimaev had been favoured in all eight of his priced UFC fights, and this was his only loss. Strickland has won four of his five UFC fights at plus money, including +460 against Israel Adesanya in 2023.

We think Chimaev's claim to be next is fair: he's ranked No. 1, and one judge had him winning. Strickland himself got a rematch with Du Plessis after a split-decision loss, though he had to win a fight and wait a year first. "The real champion" is harder to support. Two of three judges disagreed, and the round-by-round describes a fight that could have gone either way, not a robbery.

What comes next

Strickland vs. Imavov is reportedly targeted for February "somewhere in Florida," according to MMA Sucka, which would put it after UFC 336 in Toronto on January 30. It cites MMA Junkie's Mike Bohn, who said the fight is "maybe even signed or close to signed." Last Word On MMA names UFC 337 as the likely event. The UFC hasn't announced it.

The holdup has been Strickland's pay. He posted on X that he "will not fight or sign any contract" until it's resolved. White has replied that "Sean Strickland just signed a new contract in May" and disputes the figure Strickland claimed, per MMA Sucka. Imavov confronted Strickland at the UFC Performance Institute in October, Sherdog reported.

Strickland already beat Imavov by unanimous decision in January 2023, a short-notice fight at light heavyweight, closing at +115. Imavov has won five straight since, including over Adesanya, and is 8-2 across his 10 priced UFC fights (Imavov). The rematch has no odds yet.