Khamzat Chimaev lost more than just his belt at UFC 328. After Sean Strickland jabbed and teep kicked his way to a decision win, Chimaev has lost a lot of stock in the eyes of fans and critics. He’s been vocal about a rematch ever since, but this fresh set of allegations was something no one saw coming.

The Chechen star believes his nationality had something to do with the judges’ call not going his way. Chimaev walked into the Prudential Center in Newark as a 15-0 wrecking machine. He left as a 15-1 former champion whose cardio and striking skills were under scrutiny.

In a since-deleted post on X, Chimaev voiced his dissatisfaction. “All judges are Americans,” he wrote. “The organization is American, the opponent is American, and one is Chechen. It’s a close fight, who do you think will win? 😂”

The comments immediately divided fans online. Even though the fight was close, many observers believed Sean Strickland’s volume striking and late-round success tipped the scales in his favor. ‘Tarzan’ outlanded Chimaev in terms of overall significant strikes, particularly in the head strike count, where Strickland finished with a whopping 118-52.

He also won the striking numbers in rounds two, three, and five while successfully stopping several of Khamzat Chimaev’s takedown attempts as the fight wore on. Nonetheless, Khazmat Chimaev and several of his fans were clearly dissatisfied with the scoring. Two judges scored the bout 48-47 for Strickland, while one awarded it to ‘Borz.’

Shortly after the deleted tweet, he once again called for a rematch and warned Sean Strickland.

“I’m waiting; tell me when you’re ready @SStricklandMMA,” he wrote. “Next time somebody has to be dead.”

When fans accused him of making excuses for losing the belt, ‘Borz’ simply denied that it was the case.

“No excuses, I just wanna f—- him up,” he added. “This s— trying to run away.”

Since the fight, much of the discussion over the loss has focused on Khamzat Chimaev’s brutal weight cut, with some members of his team claiming it left him exhausted midway through the fight.

This has only fueled more speculation that ‘Borz’ may eventually go up to light heavyweight rather than continue struggling at 185 pounds despite his calls for a rematch. But he’s not the only one who walked into the fight injured.

Strickland revealed after his win that he had injured his right shoulder just days before the fight, during a sparring session with Johnny Eblen. “Type 2 AC separation. Extended Type V SLAP tear. Partial rotator cuff tearing/tendinosis,” he posted on X.

Besides, Strickland is no stranger to accusing judges of bias either. After he lost his title to Dricus Du Plessis in a close decision at UFC 297 in Canada, he claimed the judges were biased against him. A few months ago, he even vowed never to fight outside the US again. This puts things into perspective and help us understand why Chimaev and his team asked for a rematch in the UAE and the champion reportedly turned it down.

For now, Chimaev seems focused on only one thing: getting back inside the Octagon with Sean Strickland and avenging the first loss of his professional MMA career. Because he knows he wasn’t at his best in the first one, his team knows that, and even former rival Robert Whittaker seems to know that as well.

Robert Whittaker saw a different version of Khamzat Chimaev fighting Sean Strickland

Robert Whittaker seems to agree with the idea that the version of Khamzat Chimaev who fought Sean Strickland was nothing like the terrifying force that had previously swept through the division. After watching UFC 328, the former middleweight champion openly confessed that seeing ‘Borz’ struggle in Newark left him scratching his head.

‘The Reaper,’ who was brutally submitted by Khamzat Chimaev in 2024 after suffering a broken jaw during the bout, said the ‘Borz’ he felt inside the cage was ‘vastly different’ than the fighter who lost to Strickland.

“It’s hard to say because styles make fights, right?,” he told Submission Radio. “And I don’t know if being in there with Sean, Chimaev is seeing something vastly different than what we are. Is there something Chimaev is seeing in there with him that is different than what the people watching from the outside are seeing?

“Because that is not the version of Chimaev that fought me, that’s not the version that fought Dricus Du Plessis, that’s not the version that fought Gilbert Burns. I don’t know what that is. Maybe it was, but Sean just has that secret something that makes these guys look like that.”

His words become even more interesting when you consider that Robert Whittaker is now stepping up to light heavyweight at UFC 329. After seeing ‘Borz’ struggle at middleweight, ‘The Reaper’ quipped that he would be willing to face him again at 205 pounds someday.

And, while Khamzat Chimaev reportedly told Dana White after UFC 328 that he was considering a permanent move up due to the harsh weight cuts, his focus seems to have quickly shifted back toward chasing an immediate rematch with Sean Strickland instead.