An extensive analysis examines Sean Strickland's ability to get back to his feet against Khamzat Chimaev's grappling. Training partners Luke Rockhold, Jorge Masvidal, and Sharaf Davlatmurodov all attest to Strickland's exceptional difficulty to hold down, even against heavyweights. Rockhold says Strickland is "so hard to hold down it's annoying," while Masvidal notes he's seen Strickland escape even against much larger opponents. Davlatmurodov, who trained extensively with Strickland, confirms he could never control him on the ground and that Strickland excels at breaking grips and creating explosions to stand up. The analysis references Strickland's fights against Dricus du Plessis (who completed six takedowns but couldn't keep him down long) and an early loss to Kamaru Usman nine years ago at welterweight. The piece concludes that while Strickland may get taken down at the cage, his wrestling-based scrambles and ability to create space make him uniquely difficult to control, though Chimaev's superior transitional speed and control techniques present his toughest test yet.
Saturday, May 9, 2026
