“Borz” is headed to 205 pounds.
Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev is apparently moving up to Light Heavyweight following his upset title loss to Sean Strickland in the UFC 328 main event last night (Sat., May 9, 2026) inside Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Chimaev had repeatedly teased a move to another division during the buildup to UFC 328, especially because of his infamous brutal weight cuts required to compete at 185 pounds. And according
to UFC CEO Dana White, the decision is now official.
“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 told reporters during the UFC 328 post-fight press conference.
White also made it clear he supports the move.
“Him moving up is exciting,” White said. “Ever since Fight Island, he’s gone on a run, went undefeated, won a world title — did everything he said he would do. But with the level of success and lifestyle, it makes it tough.”
Weight cutting has long been one of the biggest talking points surrounding Chimaev. “Borz” visibly struggled on the scale Friday morning, and speculation quickly spread online that he missed the championship weight altogether.
That theory gained more traction after teammate Arman Tsarukyan revealed earlier this week that Chimaev had to cut nearly 50 pounds for UFC 328.
Now, Chimaev enters a Light Heavyweight division that lacks elite wrestlers and grapplers near the top — potentially creating favorable matchups despite the significant size increase. Still, it’s wild to remember that Chimaev once competed at Welterweight, considering many of today’s 205-pounders would never come remotely close to making 170 pounds.
Time will tell how Chimaev adapts to his third UFC weight class since debuting in 2020.
Despite the loss to Strickland snapping his undefeated record, Chimaev still leaves Middleweight with major wins over Dricus du Plessis, Robert Whittaker, and Kamaru Usman.
For complete UFC 328 results, coverage and highlights click HERE.
