Khamzat Chimaev believes his nationality might have influenced the outcome of his recent title defense.
At UFC 328, Chimaev faced Sean Strickland for the middleweight title. He started strong with grappling, but Strickland’s jab and pressure later disrupted his rhythm and takedown attempts.
Although Chimaev had significant moments and kept the fight competitive, he feels the decision could have gone either way. Ultimately, two judges scored the bout 48-47 for Strickland, while one favored Chimaev 48-47, resulting in a narrow split-decision defeat.
Initially, Chimaev seemed to accept the result, even presenting Strickland with the championship belt. However, weeks later, he expressed dissatisfaction with the decision, citing potential bias.
Khamzat Chimaev claims judges showed bias in UFC 328 defeat
Khamzat Chimaev took to X (formerly Twitter) to voice his frustration over the UFC 328 outcome. He alleged that the result was influenced by American bias, as all the judges were American and none were from Chechnya.
“All judges are American, the organization is American, and no one is Chechen,” Chimaev wrote in a now-deleted post. “It’s a close fight. Who do you think will win?”
Following this, Chimaev stated that he wasn’t making excuses and was focused on a rematch with Sean Strickland.
“No excuses, I just wanna f*ck him up. This sh*t trying to run away.”
“I’m waiting. Tell me when you’re ready, Sean Strickland. Next time, somebody has to be dead,” Chimaev added.
This loss marked Khamzat Chimaev’s first defeat in his professional MMA career, bringing his record to 15-1. Before this, he had an undefeated 9-0 run in the UFC, with notable wins against Robert Whittaker, Gilbert Burns, and Kamaru Usman.
He won the middleweight title at UFC 319 in August 2025, defeating Dricus Du Plessis by unanimous decision.