Khamzat Chimaev on wrapping belt around Sean Strickland: “This girl cried too much”

Khamzat Chimaev is in heavy pursuit of a rematch with Sean Strickland, the man who both dethroned him as middleweight champion at UFC 328 and handed him his first-ever professional loss. In a recent fan interaction on X, 'Borz' responded to a remark about his decision to wrap the middleweight title around Strickland's waist, explaining his reasoning in classic Chimaev fashion.

Khamzat Chimaev targets Sean Strickland in an insult-laced callout

UFC 328 marked the worst day of Khamzat Chimaev's MMA career. Not only did he lose his middleweight title to a massive underdog, becoming one of several UFC champions to have never successfully defended their belt, but it was also the night on which he lost his undefeated record. Since then, he has been pursuing a rematch with Sean Strickland, despite never having been a long-reigning champion or fighting since the loss. Recently, Strickland finally addressed talk of a possible rematch, doing so by mocking Chimaev's struggles with weight-cutting. Naturally, this drew a response from Chimaev on X.

"This coward started talking again, when you see me again, ask for forgiveness, you're good at that, the most important thing is don't cry like a girl next time."

This coward started talking again, when you see me again, ask for forgiveness, you're good at that, the most important thing is don't cry like a girl next time

— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) July 31, 2026

However, a fan took issue with Chimaev's words and pointed out that Chimaev himself wrapped the middleweight belt around Strickland's waist. An action that contradicts Chimaev's characterization of Strickland as a coward. This prompted Chimaev to aim further vitriol at Strickland, while answering the fan's confusion.

"This girl cried too much, I felt sorry for her, I gave it away like a guy let's his girlfriend do his laundry."

This girl cried too much, I felt sorry for her, i gave it away like a guy lets his girlfriend do his laundry

— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) July 31, 2026

Whether Chimaev will be next in line to face Strickland remains to be seen. The UFC could, instead, consider other options, like Nassourdine Imavov and Dricus du Plessis.