UFC middleweight titleholder Khamzat Chimaev stated that he intends to make one title defense and then move up to the light heavyweight division.
Khamzat Chimaev for ESPN
In my weight class, whoever. There is Imavov, there is Strickland, Hernandez, whoever. All of them, I see a big check, good money. There are a lot of options. But I want to, for sure, one more fight, I’m going to go one more weight class up. One more fight and I want to go up next weight class.
Chimaev last stepped into the octagon against Dricus du Plessis in August 2025 at UFC 319. Khamzat won that bout by unanimous decision and captured the UFC middleweight championship belt. He has a record of 15 wins and zero losses.
