Chimaev Wants December — or He’s Finally Taking the Break His Body Needs
GOATIFYKhamzat Chimaev is trying to squeeze one more fight into 2026, but for the first time in a long time, the calendar is competing with something bigger than an opponent: his own body.
Chimaev has been pushing for a December return after failing to secure an October booking. He does not appear to be demanding an immediate middleweight title shot, either. The former champion simply wants a fight that gets him moving again after the first defeat of his professional MMA career, a split-decision loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 328 in May.
If the UFC cannot find him a matchup before the end of the year, however, Chimaev says the next move may finally be the one he has delayed for years: stop, recover and address the injuries and surgeries he has repeatedly pushed aside.
December Is About Momentum, Not Just the Belt
The most revealing part of Chimaev’s current position is that he is no longer framing his return around one specific opponent. Immediately after losing to Strickland, the natural target was a rematch. That loss mattered because it ended Chimaev’s unbeaten professional record and cost him the middleweight championship.
Now the title picture appears to be moving without him. Chimaev believes Nassourdine Imavov could be next for Strickland, and rather than sit out waiting for that situation to resolve, he has made it clear he would take another opponent. He wanted Abu Dhabi. He tried to get something in October. December is now the target.
That makes the next booking unusually important. A win would not instantly erase the Strickland result, but it would prevent Chimaev from spending the rest of 2026 defined by his first defeat. It would also give the UFC another major name to place back into the middleweight title queue while Strickland’s next defense develops separately.
The Bigger Story Is What Chimaev Has Been Fighting Through
Chimaev’s willingness to fight quickly has always been part of his identity, but his latest comments put a different light on that urgency. He says he has repeatedly delayed procedures, carried injuries into fights and lived with health problems that have accumulated across years of competition.
He described having undergone six surgeries and seven periods under anesthesia, while also referencing the thyroid issues and recurring illnesses that have interrupted his career before. The striking part is not that an elite fighter is dealing with injuries; that is common. It is that Chimaev is openly acknowledging a point where postponing treatment may no longer make sense.
That creates a genuine trade-off around December. If he gets the right opponent, another camp and another fight could rebuild momentum immediately. If no meaningful booking materializes, forcing another rushed turnaround may offer less value than finally entering 2027 healthier.
For a fighter whose style depends on explosive pressure, wrestling, pace and physical dominance, accumulated injuries matter. Chimaev has often looked most dangerous when he can impose himself before opponents settle into a rhythm. Anything that reduces his ability to train consistently or sustain that pressure becomes more than a background issue.
Strickland and Imavov Could Decide How Urgent the Return Really Is
Chimaev is also watching the championship picture closely. He sees Imavov as a technically dangerous matchup for Strickland, particularly if Imavov can maintain his cardio deep into the fight. That matters because a title change could completely redraw Chimaev’s route back to the belt.
The Strickland loss is still clearly sitting with him. Chimaev has admitted replaying the fight repeatedly in his mind because defeat was something he had not previously experienced as a professional. That makes a December return psychologically interesting as well as competitively useful: it would give him something new to solve instead of spending another several months analyzing the same result.
But there is no reason for the UFC to manufacture a weak matchup just to keep him busy. Chimaev remains one of the division’s biggest names, and any return should either move the title picture, create a major contender fight or pair him with an opponent substantial enough to justify another full camp.
If that matchup appears, December gives Chimaev a chance to close the year on his terms. If it does not, the smarter move may be the one he has avoided for years: let the division move for a few months, repair what needs repairing and return without another list of physical problems following him into the cage.
