Strickland Calls for Chimaev Title Fight After UFC 308
After Khamzat Chimaev submitted Robert Whittaker at UFC 308 in October 2024, Sean Strickland publicly argued that he should get the next middleweight title fight with Dricus du Plessis. Chael Sonnen also said Strickland sent him a heated text about Chimaev after the event. The callout and the title picture have since played out: Strickland fought Du Plessis, Chimaev, and then Chimaev again for the belt.
What Strickland said after UFC 308
Chimaev’s submission win over Whittaker strengthened his case for a title opportunity. Strickland, who had already fought Du Plessis for the belt, responded on social media that he expected a rematch with the champion in January or February. He also sent Sonnen a message that Sonnen later described publicly as “nasty.” These were fighters’ claims about a possible booking, not an official UFC announcement. Strickland’s posts also included personal and nationality-based taunts; those comments added heat to the rivalry but did not affect the title rules or rankings.
Du Plessis rematch came first
Strickland did get his rematch with Du Plessis, at UFC 312 on February 8, 2025. Du Plessis won by unanimous decision, with judges scoring it 50–45, 50–45 and 49–46, and retained the middleweight championship. The predicted matchup happened in the stated window, but Strickland’s bid to regain the title fell short.
Chimaev became champion, then faced Strickland
Chimaev later challenged Du Plessis at UFC 319 on August 16, 2025. He won a clear unanimous decision, 50–44 on all three cards, to become middleweight champion. The rivalry with Strickland then moved from words to the Octagon: they headlined UFC 328 on May 9, 2026, with the title on the line. Strickland won a split decision (48–47, 48–47, 47–48) and reclaimed the championship, handing Chimaev his first professional loss.
The sequence shows that Strickland’s original claim to a Du Plessis rematch was ultimately borne out, while his initial dispute with Chimaev led to a separate championship fight much later. The result of that fight—not the 2024 trash talk—settled their sporting rivalry for now. As of October 2026, Strickland is the reigning UFC middleweight champion.
Sources
- MMA Fighting, Sonnen’s account of Strickland’s text
- UFC, UFC 312 results
- UFC, official scorecards for UFC 319
- UFC, official scorecards for UFC 328
