Former UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev said that he is ready to fight again against any of the division’s top contenders.
Chimaev has not fought since the main event of UFC 328, when he lost via split decision to Sean Strickland in a massive upset, losing his middleweight crown.
Since that fight, Chimaev has called for an immediate rematch against Strickland, but with Strickland still nursing a shoulder injury, that fight has not been booked yet.
However, Chimaev is getting sick of waiting around and wants to fight again.
Khamzat Chimaev Calls For Middleweight Contender Bout
Taking to his social media, Chimaev made it clear that he is ready to step back into the Octagon, listing Strickland, Dricus du Plessis, Nassourdine Imavov, and Caio Borralho as fights that he wants.
“I’m ready let me know when you are ready Sean Dricus Nassourdine Caio,” Chimaev wrote on his X.
Who Will Khamzat Chimaev Fight Next?
After losing his belt to Strickland, which was his first career defeat, it will be interesting to see if the UFC grants Chimaev what he wants, which is an immediate rematch against the champion.
Typically, the UFC does not grant immediate title shots to fighters who have never defended their titles successfully. But with Chimaev, it’s a bit of a different situation because it was a very close fight, and it was also his first career loss.
There is certainly a good chance that Chimaev will be next for Strickland, and the two could potentially headline UFC 335 in December, the UFC’s final numbered card of 2026.
If he doesn’t get the title shot, then it will likely be Imavov who gets the fight against Strickland, leaving du Plessis and Borralho as potential options for Chimaev’s next opponent.
Given that he just beat du Plessis in 2025 to win the belt in the first place, and it wasn’t exactly an exciting fight, it’s unlikely that the UFC would book that matchup again.
Borralho would certainly be an intriguing matchup, and it’s a fresh one, as would Joe Pyfer and Brendan Allen, who are other top contenders in the middleweight division.