Khamzat Chimaev jibes at Sean Strickland over handing him UFC title, calls to expedite rematch

Khamzat Chimaev has renewed his verbal attacks against longtime rival and reigning UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland. 

"Borz" has insinuated that Strickland is evading a potential rematch against him. Additionally, the Russia-born U.A.E.-based fighter put forth his take on having himself handed the UFC middleweight title belt to Strickland during the post-fight announcements. 

Khamzat Chimaev tasted his first MMA loss against Sean Strickland at UFC 328

Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland happen to be former training partners who eventually turned into bitter rivals.

Chimaev suffered the first defeat of his professional mixed martial arts career in his most recent octagon outing, which saw him put his UFC middleweight championship on the line against Strickland. They headlined UFC 328 in Newark, New Jersey, on May 9. 

Chimaev -- who's had a history of weight-cutting issues -- is said to have experienced a near-fatal weight cut for the matchup, but he managed to make the championship weight nonetheless. Their grudge match came to fruition inside the octagon and was a closely contested one. 

Strickland managed to beat him via split decision, with two judges scoring it 48-47 each in the American's favor, whereas just one had it 48-47 for Chimaev.

Well, Strickland was thereby crowned the new UFC middleweight champion and commenced his second reign as the 185-pound division's ruler -- his first reign having lasted from September 2023 to January 2024. 

Contenders like Nassourdine Imavov have lately been pursuing a title shot against Strickland.

However, the latter is currently recovering from a shoulder injury, albeit still training. Moreover, Chimaev is still considered a frontrunner as Strickland's next matchup. 

Khamzat Chimaev throws shade at Sean Strickland over handing him UFC belt; calls to expedite rematch

Here in June of 2026, Khamzat Chimaev has reaffirmed that he'd like to reclaim his middleweight belt from Strickland.

The grappling savant has been campaigning for an immediate title rematch since last month and seems keen on ending his rival's championship reign at the earliest. 

Adding a 'beaming face with smiling eyes' emoji, seemingly conveying his excitement for their imminent rematch, Chimaev tagged Strickland's X handle in a post. The Chechen fighter's X post came across as a call for their rematch to be expedited. 

Chimaev wrote, "Accept the fight, don't run, I'll beat you anyway, The sooner this happens, the easier it will be to breathe @SStricklandMMA." 

Accept the fight, don't run, I'll beat you anyway, The sooner this happens, the easier it will be to breathe 😁@SStricklandMMA

— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) June 29, 2026

Intriguingly, Chimaev himself had wrapped the belt around Strickland's waist after he'd been announced the winner of their fight at UFC 328. They'd notably expressed their respect for one another after the five-round war. 

A netizen replied to Chimaev's aforementioned X post by harking back to his wrapping the belt around Strickland. "Borz" soon responded to the same. 

Capping off another X post with a 'face with tears of joy' emoji, he appeared to suggest that his wrapping the middleweight belt around Strickland was simply because he wanted his foe to clean it for him. Chimaev wrote, "Because I want him to clean my belt." 

Because I want him to clean my belt 😂

— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) June 29, 2026