Chimaev landed only 24 significant strikes in UFC first rounds across 9 fights

Khamzat Chimaev has proven nearly untouchable in first rounds during his UFC career. Across nine UFC bouts, opponents have landed just 24 significant strikes on him in opening rounds, with Gilbert Burns alone accounting for 18 of those. Five of his nine opponents failed to land a single significant strike in the first five minutes against Chimaev, including current middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis. With Chimaev scheduled to face Sean Strickland, analysts debate whether Strickland's jab-heavy style could disrupt these dominant statistics or if he too will struggle to land clean shots early.