The middleweight title mess is slowly unraveling, and Khamzat Chimaev, unsurprisingly, is at the centre of it all. The story was that Chimaev was injured and out, which, if it weren’t the case, he would have defended his title last December against Nassourdine Imavov. An update from last November did confirm that Chimaev was prepping for surgery. But he is done nursing his injuries and is ready to hunt again. His prey?

In an X post, ‘Borz’ called Colby Covington out for a wrestling match at the next RAF event, but something else was revealed in the comment section, which stole the headlines.

After a fan questioned him on X about a possible injury as uncertainty surrounded his next title defense, Khamzat Chimaev issued a concise response. “No, I [am] waiting for [Strickland].”

The statement signals that Chimaev is preparing for a potential clash with former middleweight champion Sean Strickland rather than recovering from any setback. This was further reposted by Strickland with two emoticons, one of them featuring an American flag. Could this be a hint for the White House card?

Not really. You would think that Strickland, who has previously shown a clear lack of interest in fighting at the White House card, might be persuaded by the title, the prospect of fighting the undefeated Chechen champion, and the allure of the White House spectacle. But ‘Tarzan’ does not want to wait.

News served to you like never before!

Prefer us on Google, To get latest news on feed

Prefer Us on Google

When a fan asked about the White House card or a date after that, Strickland responded, “Sooner 5 months is way too long.” Outspoken as he is, Strickland had previously cited his dissatisfaction with the Trump administration as his reason for not participating in the White House event. But with Chimaev, he has unfinished business and just wants to jump in the cage as soon as possible.

Besides, there’s no other big-name opponent left for Chimaev. Now that Alex Pereira has moved to heavyweight and Jiri Prochazka and Carlos Ulberg are making a run for the vacant light heavyweight title, Chimaev’s aspiration of becoming a double champion has to wait. Not to mention UFC CEO Dana White has clearly dismissed the idea of Chimaev’s jump, as he wants the Chechen Wolf to defend his middleweight title before any talks of jumping divisions.

According to the rankings, it should have been Nassourdine Imavov facing the reigning middleweight champion. Despite having a five-fight win streak in his division, this could put Imavov back in line again. Although there has been no official confirmation that Strickland is up for the next title contention, it seems like that’s the fight Khamzat Chimaev wants.

The back-and-forth banter between the two middleweights has been ongoing since Strickland called the Chechen fighter out following his dominant victory over Anthony Hernandez.

Sean Strickland’s coach outlines strategy against Khamzat Chimaev, breaks the silence on training rumors

Sean Strickland seems ready to test it against Khamzat Chimaev, and he has his coach,

Nicksick has seen Chimaev train at his gym, Xtreme Couture. According to Nicksick, Strickland can address his wrestling chain, “If we can disrupt some of the chain wrestling that he puts together and make him restart and put some doubt in his mind, that’s where we have to be successful – if and when you defend those takedowns, making him pay for it.”

Although Nicksick played an extremely neutral and diplomatic stance when asked about a clarification on all the training room rumors, he did not seem to corroborate Strickland’s claim.

“I think what happens in the training room should stay in the training room. Thinking that just because you beat a guy in the training room, whether you’re on the A side or B side, you shouldn’t take that into the fight. I think both guys are great competitors and game opponents. So, to me, none of that stuff matters in the room,” he said.

Whether Strickland truly intends to follow through remains to be seen, but Chimaev’s callout has clearly shifted the tone. What once sounded like outright dismissal now feels like a possibility.