UFC Hall of Famer Demetrious Johnson believes Khamzat Chimaev’s poor showing at UFC 328 can be attributed to his training habits.

Khamzat Chimaev suffered one of the biggest upsets in UFC history last weekend to Sean Strickland at UFC 328. Chimaev, previously unbeaten in his career, suffered a split decision loss to relinquish the UFC middleweight title.

It was a stunning result after Chimaev entered the fight as a significant betting favorite. Meanwhile, Strickland reclaimed the middleweight throne with another stunning title fight performance.

Many theories have swirled in the hours after UFC 328 about Chimaev’s performance. A harsh weight cut of around 50 pounds ahead of UFC 328 has been posited as a major reason for his struggles on fight night.

But Demetrious Johnson, who spent some time training with Chimaev in recent months, believes the answer lies in the gym.

Demetrious Johnson: Khamzat Chimaev overtrained for UFC 328

In a recent breakdown uploaded to his YouTube channel, Johnson questioned Chimaev’s preparation for UFC 328.

“In my personal opinion, I think he trains too hard,” Johnson said of Chimaev.

“There’s a point in time where when you’re in shape, your cardio threshold can only go so high. So if you’re already in shape, you can’t go any further. Physically, it’s impossible. The only thing you’re going to get is diminishing returns. … If I spend all day sparring, drilling, all that stuff and then I go and f****** kill my body in the garage and then I go and do this, you’re just breaking your body down.

“By the time you get to the fight, your body has been through hell for eight to 10 weeks. That used to be the norm back in the day, but now in 2026, there’s way too much science,” Johnson continued on Chimaev. “We’ve seen that less is more and more is less, and I think that’s one thing I saw when I was there and I would watch him train. I love when I see people work hard, but sometimes working too f****** hard doesn’t pay off, as well. You’re better off taking two days off and just chilling and relaxing.” (h/t MMA Junkie)

Chimaev plans to move to light heavyweight after UFC 328, according to UFC CEO Dana White, but recent reports point to Chimaev asking for an immediate rematch with Strickland. In either case, expect Chimaev to consider making changes to his camp in preparation for his UFC comeback.

Will Khamzat Chimaev win a UFC light heavyweight title? Let us know your thoughts on his potential move in the comments!