Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold weighed in on the possibility of Khamzat Chimaev moving up to the light heavyweight division.
After Khamzat Chimaev dropped a split decision to Sean Strickland at UFC 328 over the weekend, former middleweight champion Luke Rockhold offered a bold take on what could come next for one of the sport’s biggest wild cards. Chimaev, who represented the UAE in the bout, lost the 185-pound title in the process, but Rockhold believes a move to 205 pounds could actually make him even more dangerous.
That idea lands at an interesting time for the UFC, because light heavyweight has recently become a striker-heavy division with fewer elite wrestlers at the top than middleweight. In that kind of landscape, Chimaev’s pressure game and takedown threat would instantly reshape the title picture.
“At 205, nobody can really match up with him. Khamzat would dominate with his wrestling, and maybe Ankalaev is the only one who could really offer resistance.
There are barely any wrestlers at light heavyweight — it’s mostly strikers there. It would be even easier for Khamzat to win in that division. Though personally, I wouldn’t want to see him leave middleweight coming off a loss to Sean,” Rockhold said in an interview with Submission Radio.
Rockhold’s point cuts straight to the stakes. If Chimaev stays at middleweight, the UFC has to decide whether he rebuilds toward another crack at Strickland or pivots into another contender matchup. If he jumps to 205, he immediately becomes one of the most intriguing threats in a division where a strong grappler can change everything in a single round.
For American fans, that’s the real hook: Chimaev remains must-watch even in defeat because his style still feels like a problem for almost anyone. He has built his reputation on overwhelming starts, and the question now is whether that same formula plays better against naturally bigger opponents who may not have the defensive wrestling to slow him down.
The next move matters. Whether Chimaev tries to reclaim his place at middleweight or chases a fresh start at light heavyweight, the UFC suddenly has a high-stakes decision on one of its most marketable contenders.
