“I would have thought Khamzat would have won this fight quite easily, to be honest, but I was so wrong. Sean’s takedown defense at this stage is still really good... I’d like to see a rematch. Sean Strickland, once again, middleweight champion.”

– via Live Reaction, admitting to underestimating Sean Strickland’s grappling defense and striking volume while expressing a desire to see a second bout between the two.

“I think he trains too hard. There comes a point where, once you're already in shape, you can't really push your cardio much further. If I spend all day sparring and drilling, then go destroy my body with extra workouts... I'm just breaking myself down.”

– via YouTube, suggesting that Khamzat Chimaev may have overtrained for the Sean Strickland fight and explaining that excessive volume can lead to physical breakdown rather than improved conditioning.

“The next fight, whoever he gets matched up with, it's going to be tough for him to intimidate because his aura took a hit this week... Putting the belt on Sean, come on, man.”

– via UFC, suggesting that Khamzat Chimaev's intimidating reputation has diminished following his loss to Sean Strickland.

“He literally walked up to me after the fight and said, ‘I want to move up. I don’t want to fight in this weight class anymore.’”

– via UFC 328 Post Fight Press Conference, confirming a permanent move to the light heavyweight division following a recent defeat.

“If Strickland gets up a few times in the first two rounds, the sweat and fatigue will make it impossible to keep him down. Once Khamzat has to fight Sean’s fight, I don’t think he has a chance. [Chimaev] hits hard, but he’s predictable. The first round will tell us everything”

– via Fight Forecast, analyzing the tactical path for Sean Strickland to upset Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328.

“Islam dominated Jack to win the championship, but it was not nearly as impressive as what Carlos Prates did the other day. It looked like Della Maddalena didn’t belong in there with him. If that’s who Carlos is today patient, picking people apart, and huge for the weight class he’s a real issue”

– via his YouTube channel, comparing the dominant title win of Islam Makhachev to the clinical TKO finish by Carlos Prates against the same opponent.

“Islam dominated Jack to win the championship, but it was not nearly as impressive as what Carlos Prates did the other day. It looked like Della Maddalena didn’t belong in there with him. If that’s who Carlos is today patient, picking people apart, and huge for the weight class he’s a real issue”

– via his YouTube channel, comparing the dominant title win of Islam Makhachev to the clinical TKO finish by Carlos Prates against the same opponent.

“Anyone's beatable. Obviously, he knows that himself; that's why he trains so hard. He is not stupid. Right now, given the current state of the middleweight division, I don't see anyone beating him. Maybe Sean [Strickland] has probably got the best chance... In this era? No. I think he's going to be too dominant for them”

– via Full Mount MMA, offering a brutally honest assessment of his former training partner Khamzat Chimaev ahead of the champion's first title defense.

“You can see him once, he can be the funniest guy ever, but you can see him in one hour, he can be the scariest guy ever. He can change his mood so fast... Some days, you cannot even talk to him... Some days, he never stops; he can talk for three four hours”

– via the PBD Podcast, providing a rare look at the polarizing personality of Khamzat Chimaev as the two continue to train together ahead of UFC 328.

“I don’t know, I have no idea. I think Ciryl has more tools here... For me, and I might be wrong, but this is not a good matchup for Alex Pereira, in terms of style”

– via Helen Yee, expressing concern for Alex Pereira as he prepares to move up to heavyweight to challenge Ciryl Gane for the undisputed title at UFC Freedom 250 (the White House card)

“He's [Chimaev] handling guys that don’t have a big background in elite wrestling... The guy that he fought, who was an elite grappler and gave him problems... was Kamaru Usman”

– via The Joe Rogan Experience, analyzing the perceived "gap" in Khamzat Chimaev’s resume ahead of his first middleweight title defense.

“I would love Khamzat to put this American away. Khamzat is so much more talented. I think Khamzat can really have a masterclass. I’m American, but I like good people. Khamzat is a great person through and through. Sean Strickland is a piece of sh*t”

– via the Hustle Vlog with Adam Zubayraev, abandoning national loyalty to back Khamzat Chimaev ahead of the UFC 328 middleweight title fight.

“I'm a man, but he's not. He shaves his a**. He shaves his arms, legs. At least I'm a man, I don't do that. If you see his videos, he has no hair on his legs. You think he's gonna have hair on his a**?”

– via The Ariel Helwani Show, delivering his most graphic and personal insult yet toward Ilia Topuria during their ongoing verbal war.

“I would have to go with Brock... I think Jon is probably going to be a little more offensive. I just think those limbs shooting underneath a guy as big as Brock Lesnar and trying to get him down multiple times, I just don't necessarily see it.”

– via the Pound 4 Pound Podcast, picking Brock Lesnar to defeat Jon Jones in a hypothetical Real American Freestyle (RAF) wrestling match.

“He wanted to risk both of our livelihoods for some clicks there. He knew what he was doing. I literally landed on the cement. I think it helped my back. My back was hurt two weeks ago, and I wasn't able to do much training. I think he realigned it there... so thank you, Arman, again for the help”

– via The Ariel Helwani Show, delivering a tongue in cheek response to the terrifying moment at RAF 08 where he was driven off an elevated stage by Arman Tsarukyan

“Behind the scenes, I can tell you, Chimaev will take on anybody... The history of wrestling says, 'You show up, you get on a scale, and you take on whoever else showed up and got on a scale.' It turns out, Chimaev is that guy. Chimaev understands the code”

– via Beyond the Fight, breaking down why Khamzat Chimaev’s recent move to sign with Real American Freestyle (RAF) proves he possesses a "throwback" warrior mentality

“I was a little surprised at how bad Paddy really is. I was expecting him to win, to be honest. He really proved that he's a little sausage... How is he going to gain the skills and technique needed in this sport? That's basically impossible. He needs to die and be born again”

– via The Ariel Helwani Show, delivering a brutal post mortem on Paddy "The Baddy" Pimblett’s loss to Justin Gaethje.

“If he doesn't start walking backward, I'm gonna knock him out in the first round”

– via The Ariel Helwani Show, delivering a direct threat to Justin Gaethje as they prepare to headline the historic UFC Freedom 250 card.

“When I get the opportunity to fight with someone, I always think about what I can do to really shock the world. So with Islam, to shock the world, I have to submit him. I’m going to take him down and I’m going to submit him... don’t be surprised when you see that happen. Everyone is good... but I’m different. I don’t like to claim myself as the greatest. I leave that to the fans. Of course, I know I am number one pound for pound.”

– via The Ariel Helwani Show, revealing his ultimate game plan for a potential "Superfight" against the P4P king, Islam Makhachev

“Right now, I think practically all the fans would like to see how I, who was perhaps the biggest middleweight in history, would fare against Hokit in the Heavyweight division without cutting any weight at the White House. I wouldn't be surprised if I came in heavier than him. If Trump still wants Derrick there, book him with somebody else”

– via X, doubling down on his campaign to replace Derrick Lewis and face the undefeated Josh Hokit at UFC Freedom 250