Khamzat Chimaev says there’s a huge gap between what he earns from the UFC and what Sean Strickland earns, MMA Sucka reported Thursday. He used that claim as one more weapon in the feud with the man who took his middleweight title. ESPN framed his position plainly: Chimaev believes he should still be champion, and if Strickland is serious about getting paid, he should take the rematch.
Then Chimaev sweetened it. In comments picked up by RedCorner MMA and shared on X by Dovy, he said he’d give Strickland $1 million from his own pocket if Strickland accepts the rematch by tomorrow. He also dismissed Strickland’s injuries as “bullsh*t.”
The fight they’re arguing about happened in May at UFC 328. Strickland took a split decision there to win the 185-pound belt and handed Chimaev the first loss of his MMA career. Chimaev pushed for an immediate rematch, but over the following months Nassourdine Imavov emerged as the likely first challenger. MMA Fighting reported the UFC was rumored to be targeting Strickland’s first defense for the end of this year or early 2027.
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That timeline is now shaky. Strickland has been fighting the UFC over pay, and he’s said that if it can’t be fixed, he’d rather vacate the title and move up to light heavyweight to burn through the rest of his contract quickly.
Chimaev told MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck that a weight change won’t buy Strickland any distance.
“If he goes up to 205, I’ll go after him and take his head,” Chimaev said. “If he goes higher weight, I’ll go to heavyweight. This guy is not going to run from me.”
He also made no secret of why he wants this fight specifically. “They’re gonna pay good for our fight,” he said. “That’s why I go after [him]. It’s a big check.”
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Strickland, for his part, showed up at the gym this week in a shirt joking that he skips cardio because he doesn’t run, according to a clip from jasonmanly on Instagram shared by Championship Rounds. Read that next to Chimaev’s line about Strickland not running from him and you have a rivalry trading jabs by T-shirt.
Chimaev isn’t sitting still while the title picture sorts itself out. He told Heck he’s been training and asking for a fight. He said he doesn’t know what’s happening between Strickland, Imavov and the rest, and that if they don’t fight, he wants one of them. In the meantime he’s booked in the co-main event of RAF 14 against Robbie Lawler, on a card headlined by Arman Tsarukyan vs. Dillon Danis in a wrestling match.
My take: the $1 million offer is the sharpest thing Chimaev has said in months. Strickland’s whole public argument right now is about money, so Chimaev is calling the bluff with his own wallet and the deadline of “tomorrow.” A split decision loss with the belt on the line earned a rematch on its own merits. If Strickland gets his pay sorted and still picks Imavov, that’s a legitimate call. If he walks to 205 instead, Chimaev has already told everyone he’s packing a bag.
