Khamzat Chimaev Discards Plans of Moving up in Weight for One Reason

Khamzat Chimaev got quite a shocker at UFC 328. Having defeated Dricus du Plessis to win UFC middleweight gold, ‘Borz’ went up against Sean Strickland. After five rounds of grueling back and forth, the judges awarded the bout in favor of Strickland by split decision. Trying to make a comeback from his heartbreaking defeat, Chimaev has reportedly dismissed his plans of moving up the weight. 

Khamzat Chimaev Wants to ‘Break Everyone’

After becoming the champion, the Chechen-born wanted to move up in the weight class. As soon as he lost his title, Chimaev seems to have discarded the idea. Now, he first wants to get back his belt. Next up, the 32-year-old pointed out how he would like to defeat all the contenders at middleweight before thinking of making a move. 

Chimaev stated, “Until I break everyone at 185, I’m not leaving this weight class.” 

He also accepted his mistake at UFC 328 and refused to give any excuses. ‘Borz’ noted, “There was a mistake. Mistakes can always happen. Things can’t be perfect. We’re only human. I’m not a saint who never makes mistakes. I don’t want to talk about these things — the weight cut, injuries. That’s not for me.”

There is no doubt that Chimaev is trying to come out of the setback. As part of the process, the former UFC champion will fight Tyron Woodley next outside of the UFC. 

Khamzat Chimaev Will Face Upbeat Tyron Woodley at RAF

Woodley and Chimaev’s upcoming wrestling bout is generating a lot of heat. Following the shock defeat, ‘Borz’ is looking for a dominant victory to give himself a significant morale boost. But that might be a bit difficult as Woodley is currently on a high. In his previous fight at RAF 12, Woodley notched up a win against Joaquin Buckley. 

This was special as it was Woodley’s maiden victory since 2018. On the contrary, Chimaev will be coming off his first loss in his combat sports career. Thus, with contrasting paths leading to the RAF bout, fans can definitely expect a banger.