Khamzat Chimaev suffered his first career loss at UFC 328, and the MMA world is already buzzing with theories about what went wrong. The immediate culprit? Sean Strickland, who pulled off the second massive title fight upset of his career to reclaim the championship Saturday in Newark, N.J. Strickland earned a split decision victory in a fight that stayed largely on the feet, thanks to his grappling defense and an unusual game plan from Chimaev that may have been compromised by a brutal weight cut.

Chimaev looked visibly uncomfortable on the scale during official weigh-ins, raising concerns that making the championship weight of 185 pounds took an unusually heavy toll. The cageside commentary team of Daniel Cormier, Joe Rogan, and Jon Anik quickly picked up on the situation after the fight. "Does Khamzat want to fight at 185?" Cormier asked. "They said he already has his eyes on 205. I don't know."

Joe Rogan believes Chimaev's rumored move up to light heavyweight may have been a hidden factor. "Good question, because it could have been a factor," Rogan told Cormier. "The fact that he did try to bulk up plus thinking that he was going to fight at 205 against Jiri Prochazka… that could have played a role." Chimaev has been open about his desire to move up to light heavyweight, not just for a chance to win a second title, but to spare his body the punishing middleweight cut. He's also fought at welterweight, famously missing the 170-pound limit by 7.5 pounds for UFC 279 in September 2022—a mishap that scrapped his bout with Nate Diaz and forced a last-minute reshuffling of the entire card.

In this case, Chimaev may have already been bulking up for a 205-pound run, only to have to shed significant weight when the Strickland fight was booked. For fans tracking his journey, this raises big questions about his future weight class—and whether the stress of cutting is becoming too much for one of the sport's most explosive talents. Whether he stays at middleweight or makes the leap to light heavyweight, one thing is clear: the weight cut drama is far from over.