{"id":101,"date":"2026-06-29T21:02:59","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T21:02:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/mma\/?p=101"},"modified":"2026-06-29T21:02:59","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T21:02:59","slug":"khamzat-chimaev-ufc-rematch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/mma\/2026\/06\/29\/khamzat-chimaev-ufc-rematch\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cThe Sooner This Happens, the Easier It Will Be to Breathe\u201d \u2013 Khamzat Chimaev Pushes for Immediate Sean Strickland Title Rematch"},"content":{"rendered":"

Khamzat Chimaev appears determined to secure a rematch with Sean Strickland as soon as possible. For the unversed, the majority of the fans expected Chimaev to overwhelm Strickland in their <\/span>UFC 328 middleweight title showdown<\/span><\/a>. Instead, the American delivered one of the best performances of his career, battling through adversity to earn a razor-close split-decision victory.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The win handed Chimaev the first loss of his professional MMA career and saw Strickland reclaim the middleweight championship, becoming a two-time titleholder in the process. The victory, however, came at a high cost. Strickland suffered a broken nose in the opening round and entered the fight while dealing with a lingering shoulder injury.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Following the event, the champion revealed during the UFC 328 post-fight press conference that he intended to take some time off, citing the demanding schedule that had kept him in training camp for much of the previous six months. During that stretch, Strickland competed in back-to-back high-profile <\/span>bouts against Anthony Hernandez<\/span><\/a> at UFC Houston and Chimaev at UFC 328 in New Jersey.<\/span><\/p>\n

While Strickland has made it clear that recovery is his immediate priority, Chimaev appears unwilling to sit on the sidelines and wait indefinitely. In the aftermath of UFC 328, there was speculation that the Chechen star could move up to light heavyweight after reportedly enduring a grueling 44-pound weight cut that may have affected his performance against Strickland.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, Chimaev’s latest comments suggest his focus remains firmly on reclaiming the middleweight title. That message continued on Monday when Chimaev issued another challenge to the champion on social media. Taking to X, he wrote, <\/span>\u201cAccept the fight, don\u2019t run, I\u2019ll beat you anyway. The sooner this happens, the easier it will be to breathe.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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Khamzat Chimaev continues to call out Sean Strickland for a rematch. \ud83d\udc40<\/p>\n

Khamzat also said in one of his post-fight interviews that he wants the rematch to take place in Abu Dhabi, which is expected to host the event in October. \ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddea<\/p>\n

via: @KChimaev<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/o7zfjt2Buh<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 MMA Pros Pick (@MMA_PROS_PICK_) June 29, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n