Months after suffering his first professional loss and losing his title to Sean Strickland at UFC 328 in May, Khamzat Chimaev has finally started addressing the loss. He’s set to face former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley at the Real American Freestyle Moscow this weekend. While ‘Borz’ discussed his side quest in freestyle wrestling, he also opened up about the ongoing reports surrounding Sean Strickland’s next title defense.

During a media interaction on Thursday, Chimaev addressed the rumors surrounding Sean Strickland’s potential title defense against No. 3-ranked Nassourdine Imavov later this year. Despite being denied the immediate rematch, the Chechen did not appear sour about Imavov getting the title shot.

“No, there’s no surprise,” Chimaev told Ushatayka. “How long has Imavov been waiting now? Probably around two years. He’s already the contender.”

Khamzat Chimaev’s comments mark a notable shift from his earlier stance. After losing to Strickland at UFC 328, ‘Borz’ was adamant about getting an immediate rematch, arguing that a badly managed weight cut had compromised his performance. However, despite his efforts to secure another shot at Strickland, Imavov had already revealed that the UFC promised him a title opportunity against the winner of UFC 328, which turned out to be Strickland.

The French-Dagestani fighter also appeared on Jaiden Cable’s YouTube livestream in July and revealed that he was open to fighting Dricus du Plessis in a No. 1 contender matchup. However, according to Imavov, the UFC told him that he could “only fight for the belt.” If that remains the case, Imavov appears set to get his long-awaited title shot and could potentially avenge his 2023 loss to Strickland.

Rather than objecting to the potential matchup, Chimaev is already looking beyond it. The former title challenger wants the winner of Strickland vs. Imavov and believes he can eventually reclaim his position at the top of the middleweight division.

“Whoever wins, we’ll take him,” Chimaev stated. “Until we break everybody at 185, I’m not going anywhere.”

Chimaev also made it clear that he intends to remain at middleweight, calling out Imavov, Du Plessis, and Caio Borralho as potential opponents on his way back to another title opportunity a few days ago. But before he can begin that journey, ‘Borz’ has another issue to address: the mistakes he believes cost him his title against Strickland.

Khamzat Chimaev admits making mistakes against Strickland at UFC 328

Ahead of UFC 328, the Chechen, undefeated at the time, was seen as someone who would rule the middleweight division just as Anderson Silva did during his heyday. Instead, Sean Strickland flipped that entire script by pulling off one of the biggest upsets of the year in a spectacle that is now etched in the promotion’s history.

Looking back at the defeat, the Chechen admitted that mistakes during his weight cut ultimately contributed to his lackluster performance in Newark.

“There was a mistake,” Chimaev confessed. “Mistakes can happen always. Things can’t be perfect. We’re only human. I’m no saint who never makes mistakes. I don’t want to talk about those things.”

The concerns surrounding Chimaev’s weight cut were visible even before the fight. ‘Borz’ looked extremely drained at the weigh-ins, and his performance slowed after he spent much of the opening round attempting takedowns. Strickland was then able to push the pace in the later rounds and ultimately secured a split-decision victory.

After the loss, details of Chimaev’s brutal weight cut came to light. His teammates, including Arman Tsarukyan, claimed that the Chechen had been in serious distress while trying to make the middleweight limit.

Later, former bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw, who was also part of Chimaev’s camp, revealed that his nutrition coach badly mismanaged his water intake before the fight, leaving him severely depleted.

Despite that ordeal and the first loss of his career, the 15-1 fighter does not view himself as a defeated fighter. Instead, he believes that continuing to move forward is what matters.

“Well, I don’t consider myself a loser,” Chimaev added. “When you don’t give up, you don’t lose. Yes, it makes no difference. I have been training every day my whole life since I was five. What I am supposed to do is to feed my family, brother. Earn money. Beat someone up or hit someone, I don’t know what.”

For now, Khamzat Chimaev appears focused on putting the setback behind him and working his way back toward another title opportunity. If Strickland does defend his belt against Imavov, ‘Borz’ could eventually get the chance to settle the score with the man who handed him his first professional loss.

But a rematch with Strickland is not his only route back to the top. Dricus du Plessis remains a familiar option, while Caio Borralho could provide a fresh challenge. With Chimaev insisting that he is staying at middleweight, the next chapter of his UFC career could take several different directions.