Who Next for Khamzat Chimaev, Log Jam at 185lbs?
The UFC middleweight belt was claimed by Khamzat Chimaev back in August and speculation rumbles on about his first defence.
Inactivity is something that has loomed over Chimaev more recently in his career with the Chechen only fighting once a year in the previous 3 years. The victory over Dricus Du Plessis was impressive yet quite dull and given the dominance displayed, a rematch wasn’t immediately warranted therefore alternatives arose in the rankings at 185lbs.
In the autumn a pair of ‘semi final’ matchups were made to bring clarity to the title picture. Nassourdine Imavov defeated Caio Borralho via decision in the main event at UFC Paris in excellent fashion suggesting he may be next for the belt. Furthermore, weeks later Brendan Allen upset the odds on short notice and defeated surging contender Reinier de Ridder, this reaffirmed the belief that Imavov would be next in line.
Who Next For Khamzat Chimaev?
This week has thrown the title into question at 185lbs, after rumours circled about a lack of desire to make the title fight between Chimaev and Imavov due to personal ties. With both men being muslim it would be unlikely for fans to see either men in Q1 of 2026 and particularly as the UFC have made multiple middleweight match ups in the last week.
After pulling out in November the streaking Anthony Hernandez faces former champion Sean Strickland in Houston, Texas in February. The tricky middleweight has been flying under the radar for some time and many believe he is the dark horse of the division. The opportunity against a former champion could be the final step on the ladder to UFC gold.
The two men whom suffered losses in autumn will face off on the greatly anticipated UFC 326 card in March. Both men tasted defeat for the first time in the UFC and will be hungry to bounce back. Borralho was 7-0 in the UFC and on the verge of a title shot and de Ridder was rapidly rising since joining the UFC just over 12 months ago. On that same card Brazilian powerhouses Paulo Costa and Brunno Ferreira collide in a fight that does not have title implications alike the previous fights mentioned but will be unmissable.
With all these fights mentioned we are still yet to see the return of du Plessis after losing his belt in August and fans await the return of one the best ever middleweight Israel Adesanya to see if he can stop his recent career skid.
Many options are on the table for Khamzat Chimaev yet he still talks about a move up in weight, what do you think is next for the 185lbs champion?
