The UFC broadcast team questioned whether Khamzat Chimaev may have been impacted by recent discussions about changing weight classes following his split-decision loss to Sean Strickland in the main event of UFC 328 on Saturday night in Newark, New Jersey.
Chimaev (15-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) lost the middleweight title to Strickland (31-7 MMA, 18-7 UFC) after a closely contested five-round fight at Prudential Center. Throughout the bout, “Borz” appeared to struggle badly with his gas tank, an issue that has surfaced at times during his UFC career.
The discussion gained added attention because Chimaev had recently floated the possibility of moving up to the light heavyweight division. Rumors circulated ahead of UFC 327 that he was being considered for an interim 205-pound title fight against Jiri Prochazka before Carlos Ulberg ultimately received the opportunity.
Speaking during the live UFC 328 broadcast, commentators Daniel Cormier, Joe Rogan, and Jon Anik discussed whether Chimaev’s focus on a potential move to 205 pounds may have contributed to the performance.
“Does Khamzat want to fight 85?” Cormier said during the broadcast. “They said he already had his eyes on 205. I don't know. It was a good question because it could have been a factor.”
Rogan added that Chimaev’s preparation may have changed while considering a move up in weight.
“The fact that he did try to bulk up, he was thinking that he was going to fight Jiri Prochazka (at) 205,” Rogan said.
Anik also suggested that the emotional intensity surrounding the matchup may have affected Chimaev heading into the title defense, particularly given the heated buildup between the two fighters.
“One thing we know for sure is that the buildup to the rematch would be entirely different,” Anik said. “And there would be less emotional expenditure out of Khamzat Chimaev. We don't know what type of factor that played.”
