Khamzat Chimaev: Nassourdine Imavov 'technically' much better than Sean Strickland

Khamzat Chimaev is struggling to comprehend how Sean Strickland defeated him to claim the middleweight title. Strickland, with a record of 31-7 MMA (18-7 UFC), upset Chimaev, who has a record of 15-1 MMA (9-1 UFC), for the first time in his career. Now, Strickland is set to defend his title against Nassourdine Imavov, who is on a five-fight winning streak.

Imavov, with a record of 17-4 MMA (9-2 UFC), has not lost since dropping a unanimous decision to Strickland in a light heavyweight bout in January 2023. Chimaev expressed his doubts about Imavov's progress, stating that he hopes Imavov has improved his striking since their last fight and will outstrike him. He described Imavov as a tough fighter and acknowledged that there are other fighters better than him.

Chimaev, however, cannot fathom how he lost to Strickland, replaying the fight in his head a thousand times. He expressed surprise that Strickland could beat him before the fight.