The belt is gone, the zero is gone and the aura of invincibility that followed Khamzat Chimaev into every cage is gone with it. Sean Strickland made that happen after defeating Chimaev via split decision in the main event of UFC 328, becoming a two-time UFC middleweight champion. It was Chimaev’s first professional loss in 16 fights.
However, his loss felt predictable to Khabib Nurmagomedov. Shortly after the fight, a year-old podcast clip of Nurmagomedov resurfaced, where the 37-year-old pointed out the specific technical flaw that ended up costing Chimaev the championship.
Khabib Nurmagomedov Called Out Khamzat Chimaev’s Cardio Flaw Well Before UFC 328
In a podcast appearance with Adam Zubayraev, Khabib explained the structural problem in Chimaev’s game with surgical precision.
“I always had the same game plan,” Nurmagomedov said. “I was taking the fight to the ground. And I would attempt 100 takedowns if required. But you don’t see that in Khamzat’s fights. He usually starts going full wrestling, and when it doesn’t work out, he starts striking with those guys while he is gassed.”
💡Khabib says Khamzat always makes a mistake by going too hard with the wrestling in the R1 and ultimately gassing himself out.
The podcast was filmed a year ago:
⚡️Khabib: “I always had the same gameplan, I was taking the fight to the ground. And I would attempt 100 takedowns… pic.twitter.com/P6bAtaFJgW
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) May 10, 2026
He pointed directly to the Gilbert Burns and Kamaru Usman fights as the template. He claimed that Chimaev barely survived this mistake against Burns and Usman.
The fight followed Khabib’s script. Chimaev dominated early but exhausted himself trying to force a finish. Once Strickland’s defense held up, Chimaev had no energy left to match Strickland’s pace on the feet. Combined with a brutal weight cut that left him depleted before the fight even started, Chimaev simply ran out of gas.
While Khabib used patient, relentless pressure to tire opponents out, Chimaev’s “all-or-nothing” explosive style finally backfired in his 16th bout.
Khamzat Chimaev Eyes Weight Move, Then Calls Out Sean Strickland Anyway
However, immediately after the final bell, Chimaev went to Dana White so that he could change his class. At the presser, White told, “He literally walked up to me and said, ‘I want to move up. I don’t want to fight at this weight again.'”
The UFC Boss called a jump to light heavyweight “exciting,” especially given Chimaev’s previous interest in fighting Alex Pereira.
But he changed his tune in less than 24 hours. He posted to X, penning, “Let me know when you are ready, Sean Strickland,” signaling that he might actually stay at 185 pounds for a rematch.
This has left the division in limbo as fans wonder if his next fight will be at middleweight or light heavyweight.
