Khamzat Chimaev wants the UFC middleweight title back, but more than anything, he wants to get active again and fight sooner rather than later.
That’s why Chimaev doesn’t seem all that upset about the rumored fight between current champ Sean Strickland and Nassourdine Imavov, who has been considered the No. 1 contender at 185 pounds for quite some time. While the UFC hasn’t announced anything, rumors began swirling this week that Strickland would defend his belt against Imavov in December rather than a rematch with Chimaev.
If that happens, Chimaev doesn’t seem to care too much.
“No, there’s no surprise,” Chimaev said on Thursday via Ushatayka. “How long has Imavov been waiting now? Probably around two years. He’s already the contender. Whoever wins, we’ll take him.”
Imavov is currently riding an impressive six-fight unbeaten streak, including a knockout win over former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya as well as victories over Caio Borralho and Brendan Allen along the way. The last time Imavov tasted defeat was back in 2023 when he dropped a decision to Strickland after accepting the fight on short notice.
Since beating Chimaev to become a two-time champion, Strickland has been recovering from his injuries with hopes he could compete again before the end of the year. It appears now he might get his wish with Imavov suddenly emerging as the top choice for his next opponent.
As for Chimaev, he already hinted earlier this week that he was interested in a fight against Borralho, who is a top-10 ranked middleweight and also hunting for a title shot of his own.
Chimaev seemed to like that fight, and he promises this is just the next step in his middleweight journey because he’s not going anywhere until he cleans out the division.
“Until we break everybody at 185, I’m not going anywhere,” Chimaev said.
First things first, Chimaev is wrestling former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley in the main event for RAF Moscow, which goes down on Saturday in Russia.
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