Khamzat Chimaev is not a man to hold grudges.
This past Saturday, Chimaev suffered the first defeat of his MMA career, losing his undefeated record and his middleweight title to Sean Strickland in the main event of UFC 328. In the lead-up to the fight, the rivalry between Chimaev and Strickland got very heated, with UFC CEO Dana White calling it one of the most intense in UFC history, but by the time the final horn sounded, Chimaev and Strickland were all smiles, with Chimaev even wrapping the belt
around Strickland’s waist when he was announced the winner.
That simple act made fans question if the beef between Chimaev and Strickland was real in the first place, or if it was all just a means of selling tickets, and while Strickland says the act of fighting each other brought them together, Chimaev credits Strickland’s post-fight apology for mending the fences.
“A lot of people were concerned,” Chimaev said in a video posted to his Instagram Stories (h/t Home of Fight). We will not give up. We will keep winning again, if it is Allah’s will, and we will keep training. The motivation is still there. We still want to take the belt.
“And regarding that guy: he said a lot of unnecessary things. People were asking why I shook his hand and why I put the belt on him afterward. We don’t have the habit of talking or fighting after a loss. If we fight, we fight inside the cage, and we fought as best as we could. What Allah has decided is no longer in our control.
“That guy lowered his head and asked for forgiveness. If a person asks for forgiveness, I can forgive him.”
But while Chimaev may no longer bear any animosity for Strickland, he does believe the two have unfinished business. Strickland beat Chimaev via split decision, and while immediately after the fight it appeared that “Borz” might be planning a move to 205 pounds, ESPN reports that, per Chimaev’s team, the only thing he wants now is another crack at Strickland.
“The rematch with Sean Strickland is the only fight that Khamzat wants, he is obsessed with it,” Chimaev’s team said. “That’s the only fight he will accept right now.”
It’s unclear if Chimaev will get the rematch he seeks, given that much of the reason for their fight at UFC 328 was the personal animosity between the two. Meanwhile, Strickland already has a heated feud with ostensibly top contender Nassourdine Imavov waiting in the wings, or possibly a trilogy bout with former champion Dricus du Plessis, who holds two wins over the champ.
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Shutdown. Khamzat Chimaev’s brother claims fighter’s body ‘shut down’ during UFC 328 weight cut, wants rematch.
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Robbery? Robbery Review: Dissecting Sean Strickland vs. Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328.
Wrestling. Khamzat Chimaev makes RAF debut against Dillon Danis at RAF 10.
VIDEO STEW
Get ready for the fights this weekend (including a last-minute addition to the card).
MVP MMA Uncut: Episode 1.
UFC Vegas 115 Preview.
Bisping talks to King Green and Grant Dawson.
SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE
Sean Strickland returns to Xtreme Couture.
Making things interesting.
And so it begins.
Ready for the rematch.
Fighters gonna start lining up to interview.
No unseeing that.
Speaking of.
FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Modestas Bukauskas (19-7) vs. Christian Edwards (8-4); UFC Vegas 117, May 16.
Tommy Gantt (11-0) vs. Artur Minev (7-0); UFC Vegas 117, May 16.
Ariane Lipski da Silva (18-11) vs. Jena Bishop (10-3); PFL San Diego, June 27.
FEED ME MORE
Thoughts?
FINAL THOUGHTS
It is very silly that fighters feel the need to fake beef to sell fights, but that’s been the way of combat sports since Ancient Rome, and probably well before then. This isn’t new. People just don’t like being treated like idiots, and when you act like you hate each other and then completely pivot, that’s just bad work. You’re breaking kayfabe in the worst way.
But, such is the way of the world.
EXIT POLL
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