Khamzat
Chimaev's coach Murad Bichuev claims a change of opponent led
to weight cut issues in his last fight in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Chimaev (15-1) lost his middleweight title to Sean
Strickland (31-7) in a shocking upset this past May. “Borz†was
visibly drained in the second round, forced to abandon his
wrestling and fought the rest of the fight on the feet, where he
was outworked by Strickland. Chimaev's coach has now detailed why
he struggled in the bout.

Murad Bichuev says Chimaev was preparing for Jiri Prochazka
before returning to middleweight

Bichuev claims Chimaev was originally bulking up to move up to
light heavyweight to fight Jiri
Prochazka. However, the UFC allegedly then changed plans and
told Chimaev to defend his middleweight title against Strickland
instead. According to Bichuev, they had a short window to prepare
for the fight against Strickland, which led to weight-cut issues
for a bulked-up Chimaev.

“The weight cut was an issue because he was initially set to face
Procházka at 205,†Bichuev told Red Corner MMA. “So, we were mostly
focusing on his physique. He started gaining muscle. He was gaining
weight more than before. And then they said, ‘No, we're leaving
this option aside; you have to fight Strickland at 185.' That's why
we didn't have much time and we faced more problems than we
expected.â€

Chimaev was teasing a move up to light heavyweight after claiming
the middleweight belt. Following his loss against Strickland,
Dana
White said that the Chechen-born fighter was determined to move
up. However, Chimaev has since been rallying for a rematch against
Strickland, repeatedly calling out the American on social
media.

“Khamzat was gaining weight for Prochazka,
but then they said it will be Strickland”

Khamzat
Chimaev's coach, Murad Bichuev, reveals the team was originally
focused on preparing for a light heavyweight fight against Jiří
Procházka before being switched to Sean
Strickland at… pic.twitter.com/bHomveb86K

— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA)
August 2, 2026

Arman
Tsarukyan continues to build up his resume of side quests
outside the Octagon.

Tsarukyan faced Indian fitness influencer Ankit Bainpuriya in a
submission-only grappling match at Hype FC in Armenia.

Arman Tsarukyan submits Ankit Bainpuriya by armbar at Hype FC
grappling event

It was a clear mismatch as the
Ultimate Fighting Championship athlete repeatedly slammed
Bainpuriya before making him tap to an armbar hardly two and a half
minutes into the bout.

While Bainpuriya has a massive following on social media, he has no
prior combat sports experience. However, he can occasionally be
seen training wrestling and also did a brief camp in Dagestan
before facing Tsarukyan.

Meanwhile, the top-ranked lightweight hasn't fought in the UFC
since a submission win over Dan Hooker
last November. While “Ahalkalakets†is widely considered the most
deserving UFC lightweight title contender, he is yet to get a title
shot. He recently hinted that there will be news of his next UFC
fight soon.

Tsarukyan has been active in wrestling competitions lately, mostly
at Real American Freestyle, where he recently lost to Colby
Covington in a huge upset. He's 7-1 under the RAF banner,
having previously beaten the likes of Urijah Faber
and Tony
Ferguson.

Arman
Tsarukyan just destroyed Indian fitness influencer Ankit
Baiyanpuria pic.twitter.com/jzwdUrxzLU

— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch)
August 1, 2026

Alex Pereira is eager to get back on the horse following his recent setback.

Pereira attempted to become a three-division champion when he fought Ciryl Gane in the UFC Freedom 250 co-headliner. The interim UFC heavyweight title was at stake, and “Poatan†relinquished the 205-pound gold in an effort to fight for the prize in a higher weight class. It didn't work out for Pereira, who was stopped in the second stanza via TKO.

Despite the loss, Pereira is sticking around at heavyweight. During a fan Q&A prior to UFC Belgrade, the surefire future UFC Hall of Famer said he's looking forward to his rebound fight (via MMAMania.com).

“Since I entered the organization, I always take one step at a time,†Pereira said. “My objective was to get to the belt, to become champion, and I was able to do that. Then I moved up a division. That was my idea, to become champion in another division. I went after the third belt. This time, this fight did not work out, but I have a lot of willpower and I am very excited for my next fight.â€

When asked whether or not he prefers to wait for reigning champion Tom Aspinall and Gane to have their expected rematch, “Poatan†made it clear that he wants to return soon.

“I do not know what will happen, and I do not know how long that fight will take,†Pereira said. “For sure I want to fight before, and after that I want to fight for the belt.â€

Pereira has been quite vocal about the officiating during his loss to Gane back in June. The former two-division titleholder has blamed Herb Dean for failing to warn “Bon Gamin†about illegal strikes to the back of the head. The Brazilian bruiser has even called for Dean to be fired as an official.

With Alex Pereira sticking around at heavyweight, who should he face next? Let us know your choice in the comments below.

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM

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