Khamzat Chimaev has picked a role for himself in the middleweight title picture, and he isn’t casting himself as the guy waiting by the phone. The No. 1 contender at 185 pounds sent a warning to UFC champion Sean Strickland, calling himself “the hunter” according to a report from MMA Sucka published Oct. 28. The reporting available so far centers on that line, so I won’t pretend to know what else was said around it.
The timing is the interesting part. One day earlier, the Championship Rounds account on X passed along a report from Mike Bohn that Strickland vs. Nassourdine Imavov is being targeted for February in Florida, with the fight described as close to being signed. Nothing official from the UFC yet. But if that holds, the hunter is going to be sitting in the tree stand for a while.
Where everybody stands
The updated UFC Meta Rankings, published by MMA Mania on Oct. 27, have Strickland as champion with Chimaev at No. 1, Dricus Du Plessis at No. 2 and Imavov at No. 3. Brendan Allen, Joe Pyfer and Caio Borralho round out the next three spots. Israel Adesanya slid one place to No. 10, which tells you how fast this division moves on from people.
View post on X
Strickland is also climbing the pound-for-pound ledger. Yahoo Sports’ Uncrowned panel moved him to No. 7 in its October rankings, up from No. 8. The individual ballots were all over the place on him. Shaheen Al-Shatti had him fifth, Petesy Carroll had him fourth and Conner Burks had him eighth. Chimaev didn’t make the consensus top 10 and landed in the “others receiving votes” group, though Burks slotted him ninth on his ballot.
The Uncrowned writeup also noted that Strickland seemed to have cooled off after a social media outburst about his pay, now that it’s clear he’s locked in for five more fights on his current deal. Yahoo’s panel guessed Imavov would be next before the Bohn report surfaced, so give them a point for reading the room. Strickland, for his part, has been keeping himself busy online. A clip that made the rounds on X this week, posted by @DovySimuMMA, showed him flashing what the account called his “quickdraw.” Make of that what you will.
View post on X
Quick take
I like a guy who talks like a predator, and I’ve lost enough money on fighters who talk like accountants. But calling yourself the hunter while the matchmakers are penciling the champ in against the No. 3 contender is a little like announcing you’re going deer hunting in the parking lot of a closed Bass Pro Shop. Chimaev’s ranking says he’s next in line. The calendar says Imavov is next in the cage. If Strickland and Imavov get signed for February, Chimaev’s warning becomes a reservation for whoever walks out of Florida with the belt, and I’d want to see that fight’s line before I get excited about anything this weekend’s rhetoric is selling. The number I’m watching is the date on that February contract, because that’s the one that tells you how long the hunter has to sit still.
