Khamzat Chimaev isn't backing down. After a stunning loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 328, the former middleweight contender is laser-focused on one thing: a rematch for the title. According to his camp, there's no Plan B.

The tension was electric heading into their championship clash. But once the cage door closed, something unexpected happened. Despite Strickland pulling off one of the biggest upsets in UFC history—for the second time—Chimaev surprised fans by wrapping the belt around his rival's waist. It seemed like the bad blood had evaporated. Instead, Chimaev's fire is burning hotter than ever.

"The rematch with Sean Strickland is the only fight that Khamzat wants; he is obsessed with it," his team told ESPN. "That's the only fight he will accept right now."

His brother, Artur Chimaev, doubled down on that message. Speaking to sports.ru, Artur made it clear that running away isn't in the family DNA. "Khamzat isn't the type of person to move to another weight class and leave unanswered questions behind," he said. "We want the second fight. Right now we have no other goals."

Artur even floated a target date: October in Abu Dhabi, a city that's become a second home for the UFC in recent years. The promotion hasn't announced events beyond August, but the pieces could be falling into place.

This comes despite speculation that Chimaev might jump to light heavyweight. UFC CEO Dana White threw a curveball at the post-fight press conference, claiming Chimaev told him, "I want to move up. I don't want to fight in the weight class anymore." That directly contradicts what his camp is now saying.

Fans had noticed Chimaev's struggles at the weigh-ins, with his body language raising red flags. Fatigue seemed to hit him hard in the second round, and his brother later admitted his body "shut down" while cutting those final pounds. But for Chimaev, the only way forward is through—and straight back at the champion who beat him.