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Sean Strickland of UFC

New UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland praised “warrior” Khamzat Chimaev following his UFC 328 title fight win on Saturday night.

Strickland pulled off a massive upset when he beat Chimaev by split decision in the main event of UFC 328 to become the new middleweight champion of the world. For Strickland, this is his second time holding UFC gold. He first won the belt in 2023, when he beat former longtime champion Israel Adesanya in what was a gigantic upset at the time. Nearly three years later, he pulled off another huge upset to get his belt back.

Sean Strickland Praises Rival Khamzat Chimaev After UFC 328

The lead-up to the Strickland vs. Chimaev fight got very personal, as both fighters tossed out every insult in the book at one another during Thursday’s press conference ahead of this fight. These two used to train with one another, so they knew each other well. The trash-talking between them helped hype the fight up to incredible heights, and it mostly delivered, as the two had a war of attrition for five rounds on Saturday night at UFC 328, with Strickland ultimately coming through with a split decision victory.

Although both men had nothing but terrible things to say about each other before the bout, after sharing the Octagon for 25 minutes, it’s nothing but respect now.

Following UFC 328, Strickland took to his social media to praise Chimaev for his performance, calling his arch nemesis a “warrior” for his performance in defeat, while also thanking the fans for their support.

“Thank you to all the fans who supported me. Wouldn’t be here without you. Thank you to the warrior @khamzat_chimaev for sharing the cage with me,” Strickland wrote on Instagram.

What’s Next for Sean Strickland?

While a rematch between Strickland and Chimaev would make sense, given how close the fight was, UFC president Dana White announced following the card that Chimaev has already told him that he is planning to move up to light heavyweight for his next bout. So a rematch is off the table for now since these two will soon be in different weight classes.

With Chimaev out of the picture at 185 lbs, the next logical opponent for Strickland is Nassourdine Imavov, the No. 2-ranked contender in the UFC middleweight division. This would also be a rematch for Strickland, as he previously defeated Imavov via unanimous decision in 2023 in a light heavyweight bout that was booked on short notice. Imavov was originally supposed to fight Kelvin Gastelum that night, but Strickland took the fight on one week’s notice and won. That fight was over three years ago, so a rematch between the two makes sense.

Aside from Imavov, there are a few other intriguing fights for Strickland at 185 lbs, including fresh fights against Caio Borralho and Joe Pyfer, a rematch against Brendan Allen, and a trilogy bout against Dricus Du Plessis. But it feels like Imavov is the next fight for Strickland as he looks to successfully defend the UFC middleweight title that he won after his war against Chimaev at UFC 328 on Saturday night in New Jersey.