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Khamzat Chimaev (33), whose undefeated streak ended with a loss to Sean Strickland (35), broke his silence and spoke about his future plans.
The UK's 'The Sun' reported on the 11th (Korea time) that "after losing to Strickland by decision, Chimaev expressed his desire for a rematch via social media (SNS)."
On the 10th, at the 'UFC 328: Chimaev vs. Strickland' main event middleweight (83.9kg) title fight held at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, USA, Chimaev suffered a 1-2 split decision loss to challenger Sean Strickland after a closely contested five-round battle.
As a result, Chimaev lost the championship title and suffered his first career defeat. Meanwhile, Strickland, who had become the first champion by defeating Israel Adesanya in September 2023 but lost the title in his first defense via decision to Derek Brunson, overcame that pain to become the new champion. Moreover, he became the second fighter in UFC middleweight history to hold the championship belt twice, following Adesanya.
Once the defeat was confirmed, Chimaev personally placed the belt around Strickland's waist, showing proper respect to his opponent. However, he refused the post-fight interview that is traditionally conducted and immediately exited the cage.
The silence did not last long. After the fight, Chimaev posted a message on his X (formerly Twitter), tagging Strickland, saying, "See you soon," hinting at the possibility of a rematch.
However, UFC President Dana White's explanation was different. At the post-fight press conference, White stated that "Chimaev came backstage and said, 'I don't want to fight in middleweight anymore,' expressing his intention to move up in weight class."
White explained that Chimaev had significant difficulty with weight cutting ahead of this fight. He added, "He is a special fighter and still has 100% potential to become a world champion," highly praising Chimaev's determination and skill.
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*This content was translated by AI.
