Khamzat Chimaev warns Sean Strickland: Accept rematch or keep running

Khamzat Chimaev wants Sean Strickland in the cage again, and he is not waiting politely.

Chimaev, who lost a tight decision to Strickland for the middleweight title at UFC 328 in May, posted another callout Monday on social media. "Accept the fight, don't run, I'll beat you anyway," he wrote, per MMA Fighting. "The sooner this happens, the easier it will be to breathe."

Chimaev chasing first rematch after maiden defeat

The loss marked the first of Chimaev's career, dropping him to 15-1 as a pro. He captured the belt last August at UFC 319 by dominating Dricus du Plessis in a one-sided shutout. That followed a brutal submission finish of Robert Whittaker at UFC 308 in October 2024, where Chimaev broke Whittaker's jaw en route to earning the title shot.

Strickland has said only that he plans to return in December. UFC CEO Dana White told reporters after the May fight that Chimaev had mentioned moving up to heavyweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">light heavyweight, but the Russian has made no such pivot public. Instead, every message from Chimaev since the decision has focused on running the fight back.

No date or venue has been announced for Strickland's next defense.

Photo: MMAnytt / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Original reporting:

• mmafighting.com — ‘The sooner this hapens, the easier it will be to breathe’: Khamzat Chimaev sends warning to Sean Strickland to accept rematch | MMA Fighting