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Khamzat Chimaev reacts to rumored Nassourdine Imavov vs. Sean Strickland title fight

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Khamzat Chimaev reacts to rumored Nassourdine Imavov vs. Sean Strickland title fight

Khamzat Chimaev wants the UFC middleweight title back, but more than anything, he wants to get active again and fight sooner rather than later.

That's why Chimaev doesn't seem all that upset about the rumored fight between current champ Sean Strickland and Nassourdine Imavov, who has been considered the No. 1 contender at 185 pounds for quite some time. While the UFC hasn't announced anything, rumors began swirling this week that Strickland would defend his belt against Imavov in December rather than a rematch with Chimaev.

If that happens, Chimaev doesn't seem to care too much.

“No, there's no surprise,†Chimaev said on Thursday via Ushatayka. “How long has Imavov been waiting now? Probably around two years. He's already the contender. Whoever wins, we'll take him.â€

Imavov is currently riding an impressive six-fight unbeaten streak, including a knockout win over former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya as well as victories over Caio Borralho and Brendan Allen along the way. The last time Imavov tasted defeat was back in 2023 when he dropped a decision to Strickland after accepting the fight on short notice.

Since beating Chimaev to become a two-time champion, Strickland has been recovering from his injuries with hopes he could compete again before the end of the year. It appears now he might get his wish with Imavov suddenly emerging as the top choice for his next opponent.

As for Chimaev, he already hinted earlier this week that he was interested in a fight against Borralho, who is a top-10 ranked middleweight and also hunting for a title shot of his own.

Chimaev seemed to like that fight, and he promises this is just the next step in his middleweight journey because he's not going anywhere until he cleans out the division.

“Until we break everybody at 185, I'm not going anywhere,†Chimaev said.

First things first, Chimaev is wrestling former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley in the main event for RAF Moscow, which goes down on Saturday in Russia.

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MMA

Gregory Rodrigues sees ‘technical mistakes’ he can exploit in Dricus Du Plessis

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1 hour ago

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September 3, 2026

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Gregory Rodrigues sees ‘technical mistakes’ he can exploit in Dricus Du Plessis
Gregory
Rodrigues sees openings he can exploit against Dricus Du
Plessis.

Rodrigues called out du Plessis after his recent victory over
Anthony
Hernandez, which extended his win streak to four straight. The
Brazilian views the former
Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight champion as the
“most logical matchup†for his next bout.

Gregory Rodrigues explains why Dricus Du Plessis is the matchup
he wants next

With Khamzat
Chimaev's future uncertain, and Brendan
Allen and Joe Pyfer
already booked, Rodrigues claims the time is right for the du
Plessis matchup.

“That's the fight that makes the most sense,†Rodrigues told
Sherdog. “I don't know what's going on with Chimaev and I think
Brendan Allen and Pyfer already have fights booked, so DDP seems
like the most logical matchup.â€

Rodrigues remains open to other matchups but is confident he can
beat du Plessis, eyeing holes in the South African's game.

“Dricus is very strong and tough and he beat the current champion,
but he makes a lot of technical mistakes that I can capitalize on,â€
Rodrigues added.

Despite having two wins over the current champ Sean
Strickland, du Plessis seemingly isn't atop the pecking order
of challengers at 185 pounds. In his last outing, “Stillknocksâ€
beat former welterweight champ Kamaru
Usman in a lopsided decision.

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MMA

Khamzat Chimaev gets Gilbert Burns rematch, this time on wrestling mat

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4 hours ago

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September 3, 2026

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Khamzat Chimaev gets Gilbert Burns rematch, this time on wrestling mat
Khamzat
Chimaev and Gilbert
Burns are set to collide once again, this time on the wrestling
mat at Real American Freestyle.

The former
Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight titleholder and the
former welterweight title challenger will meet at RAF 13 on Sept.
18 at Watsco Center in Coral Gables, Florida. The pair previously
faced off at
UFC 273, where Chimaev edged Burns via decision.

Khamzat Chimaev and Gilbert Burns will meet at RAF 13 four
years after their UFC 273 classic

The RAF matchup comes over four years after Chimaev and Burns
squared off in one of UFC’s most memorable bouts of 2022, which
earned Fight of the Night honors.

Chimaev already has another RAF assignment locked in before the
Burns match. “Borz†is scheduled to face former UFC champion
Tyron
Woodley in the main event of RAF Moscow on Sept. 5. He made his
RAF debut earlier this year against Dillon
Danis.

Meanwhile, Burns announced his retirement from mixed martial arts
following a loss to Mike Malott
in April. The defeat was his fifth straight. Since stepping away
from MMA, Burns has turned his attention to management and has also
competed in UFC BJJ. The upcoming match with Chimaev marks the
Brazilian's debut in RAF.

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MMA

Justin Gaethje wants Conor McGregor next: ‘Fun to shut him up’

Published

7 hours ago

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September 3, 2026

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Justin Gaethje wants Conor McGregor next: ‘Fun to shut him up’
Justin
Gaethje has revealed that a showdown with Conor
McGregor is his top choice for his next bout.

Gaethje, who won the
Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight title by beating
Ilia
Topuria at
UFC Freedom 250, prefers the McGregor matchup over getting
revenge against Max
Holloway and Charles
Oliveira.

Justin Gaethje favors Conor McGregor over rematches with Max
Holloway and Charles Oliveira

In a recent interview, Gaethje explained why he has little interest
in revisiting fights with Holloway and Oliveira, who previously
finished him in title bouts. Holloway scored a buzzer-beater KO
against Gaethje at UFC
300 to win the BMF title, while Oliveira submitted him in his
second attempt at undisputed lightweight gold.

Nevertheless, with Topuria finishing both “Blessed†and “do
Bronxs,†Gaethje isn't interested in rematches. Rather, he's eyeing
a bout with former two-division champ McGregor.

“Damn, there's really no one,†Gaethje said. “It would have been
Oliveira or Holloway, but since Topuria beat them, I'm going to go
ahead and justify it to myself like I got them back. So, I guess
McGregor. Fun to shut him up.â€

McGregor returned to the Octagon following a five-year hiatus to
face Holloway at
UFC 329, but the fight ended in little over a minute as the
Irishman suffered a knee injury, prompting an anticlimactic referee
stoppage. With one fight left on his current contract, he's
targeting his final UFC bout for the summer of 2027.

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