Khamzat Chimaev, the Chechen-born fighter competing under the UAE flag, has plummeted seven places in the latest UFC pound-for-pound (P4P) rankings after suffering his first professional defeat.
The setback occurred during the main event of UFC 328 in Newark, New Jersey, early Sunday, May 10. Chimaev lost to former division champion Sean Strickland via split decision after five rounds (48:47, 47:48, 48:47).
With the loss, Chimaev dropped from the third to the tenth spot in the promotion’s pound-for-pound standings. Fellow Russian-Argentinian fighter Arman Tsarukyan, who has not competed in the UFC since November last year, slipped two positions to 15th place. Meanwhile, bantamweight champion Petr Yan climbed one spot to fifth.
Lightweight champion Islam Makhachev remains atop the P4P rankings, followed by featherweight champion Ilia Topuria of Georgia in second and featherweight titleholder Alexander Volkanovski of Australia in third.
Chimaev’s defeat was his first in 16 professional fights. He also missed the opportunity to capture the UFC middleweight title. Since joining the UFC in 2020, he made history by earning his first two promotional victories within a record-breaking ten-day span. Additionally, Chimaev holds two UFC records: the fastest knockout and the most significant strikes landed.