The fallout from Khamzat Chimaev’s loss to Sean Strickland continues after new details surfaced about the difficult weight cut he reportedly endured before fight night. According to statements from Chimaev’s brother, the former title challenger entered camp expecting a possible move to light heavyweight before eventually agreeing to face Strickland at 185 pounds.
Team Chimaev Blames Weight Cut
Chimaev’s brother claimed the fighter weighed more than 230 pounds before starting his cut to middleweight. He said the situation became dangerous during the final stretch of the process. Chimaev’s brother said:
“There was a problem with the weight cut. The question became whether to cancel the fight or take the risk.”
According to the statement, Chimaev’s body “shut down” during the cut and the team had to stop for roughly an hour because of health concerns. The explanation also matched comments reportedly made by Arman Tsarukyan before the weigh-ins, where he said Chimaev was cutting around 46 pounds for the fight.
The team also claimed Chimaev only regained around 11 to 13 pounds before stepping into the cage on fight night. Watch the interview with
Strickland reveals he also fought injured
While much of the attention has focused on Chimaev’s condition, Strickland later revealed he was also dealing with an injury leading into the bout.
The former champion said he suffered a grade one AC joint separation during sparring just days before the fight. Strickland said:
“So on Tuesday, I’m sparring Johnny, that motherf*****. He shoots on me and I hit his brick ass wall and I separated my shoulder.”
Strickland explained that he avoided intense warmups backstage because he did not want to aggravate the injury before walking to the Octagon. Many observers also noticed he relied heavily on his jab throughout the fight and threw fewer power shots than usual.
Team Chimaev Want Rematch in Abu Dhabi
Reports have also suggested that Chimaev’s team is already pushing for an immediate rematch with Strickland, potentially later this year in Chechnya or Abu Dhabi. This is strange, considering Dana announced that Chimaev would be heading to light-heavyweight.
Many fans and analysts believe Nassourdine Imavov deserves the next title opportunity instead. Still, if Chimaev is capable of making weight at middleweight, the rematch will likely draw more eyes and dollars, especially given all the media hype around the first fight. Chimaev, despite the loss, has a lot more drawing power than Imavov. Plus, Sean has already beaten Imavov convincingly, back in 2023.
I would love to watch the rematch… What about you?