All articles tagged with #middleweight
Khamzat Chimaev says he may need a short layoff to fix nagging hand injuries but expects to be back within a month or two, staying active with RAF and a Burns showdown in Miami; with the belt currently in flux, he plans to chase the UFC middleweight title again by targeting Nassourdine Imavov (or the title winner) when a new champion is crowned, and has hinted Borralho could be a future opponent.
MMA Fighting previews UFC Sacramento's main card and prelims, predicting Hernandez to rebound over Rodrigues in the headliner, Spivac to outgrapple Petrino, and De Ridder to outlast Dolidze after moving to light heavyweight, plus picks for the rest of the card including Jones over Mederos, Judice over Chaves, Wint over Chatman, and several prelim bouts.
Following PFL Charlotte, matchups to watch center on the middleweight division, headlined by Dalton Rosta vs. Bryan Battle; Battle earned his first PFL win and the Charlotte card featured six of the top 10 middleweights, signaling a crowded field and several potential eliminator bouts.
Tim Tszyu outpointed Errol Spence Jr. over 12 rounds in Sydney (117-111, 117-111, 118-110) to hand the welterweight icon a late-career defeat. Spence, coming off a three-year layoff and a two-division jump, looked slower with diminished power and stamina, allowing Tszyu to dominate on points. After the fight, Spence announced his retirement, saying he’s leaving the sport with his faculties intact and his family by his side, while Tszyu hinted at moving up to middleweight and pursuing another world title, calling beating a legend like Spence a pinnacle moment.
Dricus du Plessis defeated UFC middleweight champion Kamaru Usman by unanimous decision in the UFC Fight Night main event in Oklahoma City (50-45, 49-46, 49-46), signaling a return to title contention and setting up a potential rematch with Sean Strickland, whom he has beaten twice. Usman said he isn’t quitting and hinted at future bouts in either the 170- or 185-pound divisions.
MMA fighter Michael Page will move back up to middleweight to clash with Nursulton Ruziboev at UFC Fight Night 287 in Paris on Sept. 5 at Accor Arena. Page enters the bout on a three-fight win streak, while Ruziboev—who has moved between welterweight and middleweight—is coming off a win after returning to 185 pounds. The card announced by UFC includes several other bouts, with Page vs. Ruziboev serving as the marquee matchup for UFC Paris.
Two former UFC champions, Dricus Du Plessis and Kamaru Usman, collide in the UFC Oklahoma City headliner for Fight Night 281 at the Paycom Center, airing on Paramount+. Du Plessis, a former middleweight king, hasn’t fought since last August when he relinquished the title to Khamzat Chimaev, while Usman hasn’t competed since June, returning in a marquee matchup that pits a middleweight contender against a longtime welterweight champ.
UFC announced Dricus du Plessis will face former champion Kamaru Usman in the main event of UFC Oklahoma City on July 18 at the Paycom Center. Usman is moving up to 185 pounds to pursue a second title, while Du Plessis returns to action after losing the middleweight title to Khamzat Chimaev. The event marks UFC’s first in Oklahoma City in nearly a decade.
Khamzat Chimaev states he will pursue a rematch with Sean Strickland at 185 pounds after UFC 328, denying any move to light heavyweight, and awaits UFC booking while prepping for his wrestling debut against Dillon Danis in RAF 10, promising a different outcome and revenge next time.
Sean Strickland won back the UFC middleweight title with a split-decision upset of Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328, then returned to Xtreme Couture to thank his teammates and celebrate with the belt, while eyeing potential next moves including a rematch with Chimaev or a ranking-aligned bout with Nassourdine Imavov.
Khamzat Chimaev suffered his first career defeat to Sean Strickland in the UFC 328 main event and left the arena without a post-fight interview, later posting a cryptic message on social media that suggested he might not be done in the middleweight division, leaving his future uncertain.
Sean Strickland defeated Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328 to become a two-time UFC middleweight champion and set new division records for total and significant strikes, surpassing Michael Bisping and other legends, with a potential upcoming defense against Nassourdine Imavov.
Khamzat Chimaev's run as UFC middleweight champion ended at UFC 328 in Newark when Sean Strickland defeated him, ending Chimaev's nine-fight UFC winning streak and making Strickland a two-time 185-pound champ. The loss feeds the so-called 'middleweight champions’ curse,' as other recent nine-fight title runs—by Israel Adesanya, Robert Whittaker, Chris Weidman, and Dricus Du Plessis—have also been halted, with Anderson Silva standing as the notable exception.
Sean Strickland defeated Khamzat Chimaev by split decision to reclaim the UFC middleweight title (185 pounds) in a closely contested title fight.
Sean Strickland defeated Khamzat Chimaev by split decision at UFC 328 in Newark to reclaim the middleweight title, using improved defense and takedown discipline to wear down the undefeated challenger, while Chimaev struggled with weight; the win hints at a potential move up a weight class for Chimaev and caps a high-drama week of trash talk.