Multiple training partners have praised Sean Strickland's ability to get back to his feet from takedowns ahead of his fight with Khamzat Chimaev. Luke Rockhold stated Strickland is extremely difficult to hold down despite not being exceptionally skilled in grappling, calling him the toughest test for Chimaev. Jorge Masvidal confirmed seeing Strickland's ability to stand up even against heavyweights in training, noting Chimaev has never faced such an opponent. Sharaf Davlatmurodov highlighted Strickland's skill at breaking grips and creating frames to stand up, saying he personally found Strickland the most difficult opponent to control. However, the post notes that Strickland's past fights with Dricus Du Plessis and Kamaru Usman showed vulnerabilities, with Du Plessis achieving six takedowns and Usman controlling him for 4.5 minutes. The analysis suggests Chimaev's superior transition speed and grip control may prove decisive.
Multiple training partners of Sean Strickland have gone on record ahead of UFC 328 to praise the middleweight champion's ability to get back to his feet when taken down, framing his ground defense as a potential equalizer against Khamzat Chimaev.
Strickland, 35, carries a 31-7-0 record and holds the middleweight title fighting out of Xtreme Couture. The Arizona-born fighter is not primarily known as a grappler — his numbers bear that out, with just 0.71 takedowns per 15 minutes and 0.2 submission attempts in the same window — but he ranks among the division's highest-volume strikers, landing 6.04 significant strikes per minute with a 42 percent accuracy rate.
Luke Rockhold, the 41-year-old former middleweight champion from American Kickboxing Academy, described Strickland as extremely difficult to hold down despite not being an elite grappler, calling him the toughest possible test for Chimaev. Jorge Masvidal added that he has personally watched Strickland stand back up even against heavyweights in the gym, and suggested Chimaev has never encountered an opponent of that kind. Sharaf Davlatmurodov went further, identifying Strickland as the most difficult fighter he has tried to control, crediting his grip-breaking and framing to create separation on the mat.
The picture is not entirely favorable for Strickland, however. His recent fights have exposed real vulnerabilities on the ground. South Africa's Dricus Du Plessis, now ranked second in the division at 23-3-0, managed six takedowns in their contest. Kamaru Usman controlled Strickland for roughly four and a half minutes. Those data points leave an opening for Chimaev, whose transition speed and grip strength have drawn attention throughout his career.
Why it matters
- Chimaev's grappling is widely regarded as the most dangerous weapon Strickland will face as champion
- Strickland's stand-up volume at 6.04 significant strikes per minute means even brief scrambles back to the feet could shift momentum
- Du Plessis's six takedowns in a previous Strickland fight set a concrete benchmark Chimaev will look to match or surpass
- How Strickland's grip-breaking and framing hold up against Chimaev's elite transition speed shapes the entire tactical landscape for the fight
Saturday, May 9, 2026
