UFC Rankings: Khamzat Chimaev Gets a Hiccup for Title Shot as Sean Strickland Remains #1 in MW List

Sean Strickland didn’t have an explosive fight at UFC 302 like he does more often than not. Nevertheless, he was able to secure victory against Brazilian contender Paulo Costa. The fight had an effect on the middleweight rankings and apparently, it’s bad news for ‘Borrachinha’ as he suffered two losses in a row.

The highlight of UFC 302 may have been the back-and-forth contest between Islam Makhachev and Dustin Poirier. The co-main event, even though Sean Strickland claims it wasn’t the fight he wanted to give the fans, helped the former champion in a big way as he got back into title contention. This could be a big stake to the heart of Khamzat Chimaev.

Sean Strickland retaining his no.1 contender’s spot could postpone Khamzat Chimaev’s aspirations

Sean Strickland wants the title next. He mentioned doing what the UFC wanted him to do, and now, it’s their time to give him the rematch he never got in the first place. “I wanna fight for the belt. Hey, I was a company man, I fought a rank 7 guy. Give me it now, I did for you guys. Give me that title shot,” said Strickland in his post-fight interview.

Sean Strickland maintaining his number-one contender status could be a concerning issue for Khamzat Chimaev. For many months, following his win over Kamaru Usman, ‘Borz’ was touted to be the next 185-pound title contender, but in the wake of ‘Tarzan’s triumph, things could get a little tough for the Emirati star.

At the moment, he is preparing to face former champion Robert Whittaker on June 22 in the UFC’s maiden visit to Saudi Arabia. This fight has been hailed as a #1 contender fight for the 185 lbs title. However, Strickland’s win complicates things for Whittaker and Chimaev.

He’s made it clear after the Paulo Costa win, but where does the Brazilian go from here? Costa’s loss at UFC 302 has brought him down to the 8th spot in the rankings, and he’s slowly slipping away from the top 10. Meanwhile, Nassourdine Imavov surpassed him and now sits in his previous spot, in the 7th place.

Sean Strickland’s cry for a title shot wasn’t just limited to the post-fight interview. He made his way to social media because a couple of months ago; he shared a tweet about it. There, he mentioned that Dana White had to give him a chance to reclaim that title because the UFC CEO admitted that he thought ‘Tarzan’ should have won.

‘Tarzan’ has been asking for a rematch since UFC 297

Dana White, when he appeared on the post-fight pressers at UFC 297, clearly mentioned that, in his mind, Sean Strickland was the clear victor against Dricus du Plessis. That has been stuck in the former champion’s mind and he would speak out on X (formerly Twitter). “I lost a close decision that dana himself thought I won. Everyone did… The stats did. That needs to be run back.” Now, Sean Strickland has continued to force his way into a title shot following his win over Paulo Costa.

“Time to sit and wait for a title shot,” wrote Sean Strickland. The former champion also claimed that fighting Paulo Costa was never his plan, but he did it anyway, and now, a title shot has to be what’s next for him. This could make Khamzat Chimaev, who’s ranked 10th in the 185-pound rankings, take a longer route to earn his title shot.

Whittaker has already lost to Israel Adesanya and Dricus Du Plessis. The middleweight rivals are touted to butt heads in Perth at UFC 305 in August. Whittaker might have to take a back seat, even if he beats Chimaev since he has already fought and lost against both those competitors. As for Chimaev, beating Whittaker would still put him at the #3 spot at best, behind Strickland and Adesanya (#2). The only option for the UFC Saudi Arabia winner would be to sit and wait till Strickland gets his title shot against the winner of the prospective Adesanya vs. Du Plessis bout.

Who do you think deserves the title shot more – Sean Strickland or Khamzat Chimaev (if he wins)? Let us know your pick and the reasons in the comments section below.