For all the bad blood leading into UFC 328, Khamzat Chimaev isn’t carrying any bitterness after his war with Sean Strickland.
That surprised a lot of fans.
Heading into the fight, the rivalry between Chimaev and Strickland was one of the nastiest the UFC has seen in recent memory. The trash talk was nonstop, tensions were boiling over all week, and even Dana White called it one of the most intense feuds in UFC history.
Then the fight ended, and suddenly everything changed.
Instead of more chaos, Chimaev embraced Strickland, shook his hand, and even helped wrap the championship belt around Strickland’s waist after losing a razor-close split decision in the main event.
Naturally, fans immediately started asking the obvious question: was the whole feud even real?
According to Chimaev, yes. But once the fight was over, so was the hatred.
In comments shared to Instagram, Chimaev explained exactly why he chose to let it go.
“A lot of people were concerned,” Chimaev said. “We will not give up. We will keep winning again, if it is Allah’s will, and we will keep training. The motivation is still there. We still want to take the belt.
”And regarding that guy: he said a lot of unnecessary things. People were asking why I shook his hand and why I put the belt on him afterward. We don’t have the habit of talking or fighting after a loss. If we fight, we fight inside the cage, and we fought as best as we could. What Allah has decided is no longer in our control.
“That guy lowered his head and asked for forgiveness. If a person asks for forgiveness, I can forgive him.”
That lines up with Strickland’s version of events too, where he said the act of fighting for 25 minutes created mutual respect between them.
But forgiveness doesn’t mean Chimaev is ready to move on.
Apparently not even close.
According to ESPN, Chimaev’s team says there’s only one fight he wants right now, and it’s the rematch.
“The rematch with Sean Strickland is the only fight that Khamzat wants, he is obsessed with it,” Chimaev’s team said. “That’s the only fight he will accept right now.”
That’s not exactly shocking.
Chimaev just suffered the first loss of his professional MMA career, lost his undefeated record, and gave up the middleweight title in an incredibly close split decision. Most fighters in that position would want the runback immediately.
The question is whether the UFC agrees.
The original fight had a ton of momentum because of the personal feud between them, but now that the hostility appears to be gone, the promotion may decide there are bigger options for Strickland.
Nassourdine Imavov is already waiting as a top contender, and Dricus du Plessis still has a very real argument for a trilogy fight considering he owns two wins over Strickland.
Still, when a title changes hands in a split decision, immediate rematches are never off the table.
One thing is clear: Chimaev may have forgiven Strickland, but he absolutely hasn’t forgotten what happened.
