Khamzat Chimaev explains why he forgave Sean Strickland
· Yahoo Sports
Khamzat
Chimaev doesn’t hold grudges after a fight.
Chimaev (15-1) lost his middleweight title to Sean Strickland (31-7) via close split decision at UFC 328 last weekend. While the rivalry seemed intense in the lead-up to the fight, Strickland and Chimaev squashed their beef immediately after the fight. Chimaev and Strickland have since faced backlash for building up a fake rivalry.
Chimaev recently explained why he decided to bury the hatchet with Strickland. Chimaev says that he doesn’t believe in keeping grudges after sharing the Octagon with his opponent. Chimaev gave his best inside the Octagon and came up on the short end of a decision. Strickland also apologized to Chimaev for crossing boundaries with his trash talk. “Borz” says he believes in forgiveness when someone asks for it.
“And regarding that guy — he said a lot of unnecessary things,” Chimaev said on his Instagram Stories (translation via Home of Fight). “People were asking why I shook his hand and why I put the belt on him afterward. We don’t have the habit of talking or fighting after a loss. If we fight, we fight inside the cage, and we fought as best as we could. What Allah has decided is no longer in our control. That guy lowered his head and asked for forgiveness. If a person asks for forgiveness, I can forgive him. I’m not an oppressor so that I would refuse to forgive.”
Chimaev (15-1) lost his middleweight title to Sean Strickland (31-7) via close split decision at UFC 328 last weekend. While the rivalry seemed intense in the lead-up to the fight, Strickland and Chimaev squashed their beef immediately after the fight. Chimaev and Strickland have since faced backlash for building up a fake rivalry.
Chimaev recently explained why he decided to bury the hatchet with Strickland. Chimaev says that he doesn’t believe in keeping grudges after sharing the Octagon with his opponent. Chimaev gave his best inside the Octagon and came up on the short end of a decision. Strickland also apologized to Chimaev for crossing boundaries with his trash talk. “Borz” says he believes in forgiveness when someone asks for it.
Forgive and Forget
“And regarding that guy — he said a lot of unnecessary things,” Chimaev said on his Instagram Stories (translation via Home of Fight). “People were asking why I shook his hand and why I put the belt on him afterward. We don’t have the habit of talking or fighting after a loss. If we fight, we fight inside the cage, and we fought as best as we could. What Allah has decided is no longer in our control. That guy lowered his head and asked for forgiveness. If a person asks for forgiveness, I can forgive him. I’m not an oppressor so that I would refuse to forgive.”
🚨 Khamzat Chimaev went on stories to explain why he was friendly with Sean Strickland despite all of the trash talk that was said:
"And regarding that guy — he said a lot of unnecessary things. People were asking why I shook his hand and why I put the belt on him afterward. We… pic.twitter.com/xCvOmtVGtK— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) May 12, 2026
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