Home / Sports / Chimaev Shifts Gears: Moves Up to Light Heavyweight After Title Loss
Chimaev Shifts Gears: Moves Up to Light Heavyweight After Title Loss
10 May
Summary
- Khamzat Chimaev will move up to the light heavyweight division after losing his title.
- Chimaev informed Dana White of his decision immediately after the fight.
- The move comes after Chimaev's first professional career loss at middleweight.
Khamzat Chimaev will not pursue an immediate rematch for the middleweight title following his split decision loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 328. Instead, Chimaev has decided to move up to the light heavyweight division.
Chimaev communicated his decision to UFC CEO Dana White shortly after the conclusion of his title defense. This strategic move to the 205-pound division comes after Chimaev experienced the first defeat of his professional career.
Even prior to his middleweight title bout, Chimaev had expressed interest in competing at light heavyweight. His challenging weight cut for UFC 328 further underscored the potential difficulty of consistently making the middleweight limit.
Despite a close bout where his conditioning appeared to wane in later rounds, Chimaev put up a formidable performance against Strickland. UFC CEO Dana White acknowledged Chimaev's toughness and impact on the light heavyweight division, expressing excitement for his future at 205 pounds.
