White Declines to Confirm Strickland Vs. Chimaev Rematch

Dana White has stopped short of confirming whether Khamzat Chimaev will receive an immediate rematch with Sean Strickland, leaving the middleweight division's next move unresolved in the weeks following Strickland's upset split decision victory at UFC 328 in Newark.

"Khamzat, right now, is asking for the rematch with Strickland. That's what he wants. We don't know what we're going to do yet. Strickland will fight anybody," White said.

The uncertainty around Chimaev's next step is genuine rather than promotional. At the post-fight press conference following his split decision loss, Chimaev initially indicated to White that he was considering a move to light heavyweight — a suggestion that had been circulating before the fight given persistent reports that he had struggled to make the middleweight limit. He then pivoted to requesting a rematch, leaving his actual intentions unclear and giving the UFC two very different paths to plan around.

White's response confirms that Chimaev's preference is now firmly the rematch, but the promotion has not committed to granting it. The phrase "we don't know what we're going to do yet" leaves the door open for other directions — including a rematch that gets made, a light heavyweight move that renders the rematch moot, or a mandatory challenger stepping in ahead of Chimaev.

Strickland's position, as characterised by White, is the simplest part of the equation. A fighter who has beaten Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev in back-to-back title fights, both as the underdog, is not in a position where he needs to negotiate who he faces. He will fight whoever the UFC puts in front of him. The question is whether that person is Chimaev again — or someone else.