Combat sports have a thin line between ice-cold confidence and pure delusion. Less than 24 hours after suffering the first loss of his career at UFC 328 in Newark, former UFC Middleweight Champion Khamzat Chimaev crossed it.
On Sunday morning, “Borz” tagged Sean Strickland and demanded an immediate rematch. But this is no way the right time for him to call for an immediate bout.
Chimaev didn’t just lose the belt he took from Dricus du Plessis at UFC 319. He ended one of the sport’s most feared win streaks. And immediately after the fight, he told Dana White he wanted to move up to light heavyweight.
You don’t demand a rematch in a weight class you are already planning to leave.
Sean Strickland Ends Khamzat Chimaev’s Unbeaten Run in Five Brutal Rounds
Strickland entered as a 4-to-1 underdog and left as the first man to beat Chimaev. He took a split decision with two 48-47 cards in his favor.
Chimaev bullied him on the mat in the first round, but his gas tank hit empty early. He didn’t try a single takedown in Round 3. Instead, he walked into Strickland’s jab repeatedly. “Tarzan” out-landed him 43-29 in significant strikes that round.
By the end of the night, Strickland had landed 129 significant strikes to Chimaev’s 96. He focused almost entirely on the head, landing 110 shots there, which is 95% of his total significant strikes.
That was brutal.
Khamzat clearly took rounds 1 and 4. Sean confidently won round 2 and probably round 5. The third round ended up being the difference maker.
Sean Strickland defeats Khamzat Chimaev by split decision!
Judges’ scorecards: 48-47, 47-48, 47-48.
Strickland becomes… pic.twitter.com/83HBtYz8eK
— bonduelle (@bonduelleioat) May 10, 2026
Chimaev finished the night 9-for-13 on takedown attempts. While he was successful in getting the fight to the floor, he struggled to maintain control, finishing with only 6:04 of ground control time.
Khamzat Chimaev’s Rematch Callout Ignores Every Reality of Saturday Night
While the MMA community is praising Strickland’s poise after the upset, fans are cooking Chimaev. They’re tired of the “tough guy” act and the forced beef. His pre-fight antics backfired, making him the clear villain of the night.
Now, he is trying to sell a rematch narrative, penning, “Let me know when you are ready @SStricklandMMA.” However, the callout lost its legitimacy since Chimaev already said he’s moving up to the 205-pound division.
Let me know when you are ready @SStricklandMMA
— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) May 11, 2026
And Chimaev’s cardio issues at championship pace are no secret. Going five rounds at 185 pounds after a brutal weight cut only made it worse. Strickland didn’t just get lucky. He has now taken out both Israel Adesanya and Chimaev as a massive underdog. That’s a real skillset, not a fluke.
With Chimaev jumping to the 205-pound division, the middleweight line has to keep moving. Nassourdine Imavov is the top contender in wait. Strickland already has a win over him from January 2023, which adds more fuel to that fire.
One viral reply with 251K views said, “Dude got hit so hard he doesn’t realize the fight already happened.” His wild take is literally hard to dismiss.
