Strickland recently stated he would not be ready to fight before December due to lingering injuries, and that is apparently testing the patience of Chimaev, who took to social media on Monday and urged the champ to be ready sooner (via X):
Accept the fight, don’t run, I’ll beat you anyway, The sooner this happens, the easier it will be to breathe 😁@SStricklandMMA
— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) June 29, 2026
It’s unknown at this time if Chimaev’s push to rematch Strickland has the support of the UFC brass, or a willingness from the champion’s side to accept.
Nassourdine Imavov (17-4 MMA, 9-2 UFC) has a strong argument to get the first crack at Strickland’s belt on the power of a six-fight unbeaten streak inside the octagon.
Strickland holds a unanimous decision win over Imavov in a short-notice catchweight bout in January 2023, so he faces equal standing with Chimaev in that they are both 0-1 against the champ.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Khamzat Chimaev pushes for Sean Strickland UFC title rematch: ‘Don’t run’
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