Khamzat Chimaev wants Sean Strickland back in the cage, and he’s offering to follow the middleweight champion anywhere on the scale to make it happen. In comments posted by MMA Fighting on X, Chimaev said a move to 205 pounds wouldn’t save Strickland, because he’d go up and come after him there. And if Strickland went all the way to heavyweight, Chimaev said he’d go heavyweight too.
He also put cash on the table. According to a clip from RedCorner MMA shared on X, Chimaev said he’d hand Strickland $1 million out of his own pocket if he accepts the rematch by tomorrow, and he dismissed Strickland’s injuries as nonsense. Sportskeeda’s headline on the same offer says Chimaev attached a condition to that money.
Speaking to ESPN, Chimaev framed it around Strickland’s recent complaints about fighter pay. He said Strickland is angling for other fights while complaining about money, and that if Strickland needs a payday, he has to fight Chimaev to get it. He also claimed he earned five times what Strickland did for their title fight.
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That fight is the whole grievance. At UFC 328 in May, Strickland took the 185-pound title from Chimaev by split decision, with two judges scoring it 48-47 for Strickland and the third giving Chimaev the same 48-47. It was the first loss of Chimaev’s pro career, dropping him to 15-1, and he still isn’t buying it. He told ESPN that while he isn’t a judge, he’s never seen a fighter who spent the fight backing up get the win.
Strickland, for his part, has floated a boxing match with Jake Paul after leaving the UFC. Dana White has said Strickland signed a new UFC contract in May, which makes that exit a lot harder to picture.
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The 205 talk didn’t come out of nowhere. Chimaev had considered moving to light heavyweight before UFC 328 and has said the cut for that fight was rough. He insists the belt comes first, telling ESPN that getting his title back is the priority.
In the meantime, he’s staying busy on the mats. Chimaev faces former UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler in a wrestling match at RAF on Friday, his fourth RAF appearance of 2026, and he has another appearance against Colby Covington booked for November.
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My take: a fight that hinged on one judge’s card at 48-47 is about as close to a coin flip as a title change gets, so Chimaev has a real case for the rematch. The heavyweight bit is pure theater from a guy who admits 185 nearly broke him, and nobody’s booking Chimaev at 265. The $1 million with a deadline of tomorrow is the line I’d watch, because Strickland has a fresh contract and every reason to make the challenger wait. Chimaev, meanwhile, wrestles Lawler on Friday and Covington in November, and that’s a lot of mileage for a man who says his only priority is a title fight.
