Khamzat Chimaev is already moving in the direction of a rematch with Sean Strickland, even after insisting he was moving up in weight.
Following his first ever defeat at UFC 328, Chimaev appeared to confirm what many viewers suspected about his gruelling weight cut as he promised Dana White he would move up to light-heavyweight. However, that looks like it has only lasted a matter of hours as he has already called out Strickland again.
Chimaev struggled to make the 185lb limit on Friday morning, weighing in 15 minutes before the 11am deadline. And many viewers including Strickland himself felt that he actually didn’t make it at all as conspiracy theorists claimed the scale was manipulated.
- NEW FOOTAGE: What Sean Strickland told Khamzat Chimaev immediately after UFC 328 revealed
Khamzat Chimaev cryptically teases Sean Strickland rematch
From the second round of last night’s fight onwards, Khamzat Chimaev looked to be really struggling after cutting 45lb in order to make the middleweight limit. He has been vocal about wanting a move to 205lb for a long time, and seemed to tire as the stress of the cut got to him.
As a result, he told Dana White that he plans to immediately move up in weight while in the octagon. However, he now looks to be interested in going after Sean Strickland again if his recent tweets are to be believed.
When he broke his silence following the fight, Chimaev wrote: “@SStricklandMMA see you soon again.” And a few hours later he was a bit more clear, tagging Strickland in a second tweet that read: “Let me know when you are ready.”