End of an era! Khamzat Chimaev hints at a move up to light heavyweight after his fight against Sean Strickland at UFC 328.

Chimaev at the UFC press conference. Photo: Reproduction/YouTube/UFC

It seems that Khamzat Chimaev may make his last appearance in the middleweight division (up to 83,9 kg) at UFC 328. In the main event scheduled to take place this Saturday (9), in New Jersey (USA), the Russian champion will put his middleweight title (up to 83,9 kg) on ​​the line for the first time against his rival Sean Strickland , but makes it clear that his desire is to change weight class.

In a conversation with journalists last Tuesday (5), Chimaev was short and to the point and indicated that his next appearance in the octagon could be as a light heavyweight (up to 93 kg). In fact, this was not the first time that the Russian, former member of the welterweight division (up to 77,1 kg), made public his interest in moving up a division. After all, 'Borz' dreams of being champion of two different categories in the UFC.

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So much so that the athlete constantly challenged and provoked Alex Poatan , the former title holder. On the other hand, Dana White, aware of Chimaev's insistence on competing in the light heavyweight division to fight the Brazilian, blocked him, justifying that he needs to make title defenses before leaving the middleweight division. In any case, the star of the sport did not give up on the idea.

“I hope so. I like to eat pizza. We’ll see. I don’t know. I hope Ulberg recovers soon. We’ll see. I’m not too focused on making weight before the fight. Strickland is a good fighter, so I’m focused on him. It’s about beating this guy and then moving on to the next one. Whoever is there, it doesn’t matter,” said the UFC champion.

Chimaev's fighters in MMA

Khamzat Chimaev , 31, is one of the best and most fearsome MMA fighters today. The Russian began his career in the sport in 2018, debuted in the UFC in 2020, and became middleweight champion in 2025. Before that, 'Borz' also excelled in the welterweight division (up to 77,1 kg).

In this modality, the athlete competed in 15 fights and won them all, 12 by stoppage (six by knockout and six by submission). His main victories were over Dricus du Plessis , Gilbert Burns , Kamaru Usman , and Robert Whittaker.

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