This in-depth analysis focuses on whether Sean Strickland can successfully stand up from Khamzat Chimaev's takedowns at UFC 328. The piece includes testimony from training partners Luke Rockhold, Jorge Masvidal, and Sharaf Davlatmurodov, all emphasizing how difficult Strickland is to control on the ground. Rockhold states Strickland would be Chimaev's toughest test, while Masvidal notes Strickland can escape even from heavyweights. Davlatmurodov claims he couldn't hold Strickland down and that Strickland excels at breaking grips. The analysis reviews Strickland's fights with Dricus Du Plessis, where he escaped six takedowns, and Kamaru Usman from nine years ago, where Usman controlled him for 4.5 minutes. The author concludes that while Strickland likely cannot cleanly escape at the fence, the key questions are whether he can drain Chimaev's energy more than Du Plessis did and defend ground strikes and submissions effectively.
A detailed technical breakdown has emerged ahead of UFC 328, zeroing in on one of the fight's central questions: can Sean Strickland get back to his feet after Khamzat Chimaev drags him to the mat?
Strickland, the reigning middleweight champion, carries a 31-7-0 record into the bout. The 35-year-old American out of Xtreme Couture is one of the division's most active strikers, landing 6.04 significant strikes per minute, and he has spent years building a reputation as a fighter who is remarkably difficult to hold down. His submission attempt rate of just 0.2 per fifteen minutes underlines how rarely opponents keep him in danger on the canvas.
The analysis draws on testimony from three of Strickland's training partners to build its case. Luke Rockhold, the 41-year-old former middleweight champion with a 16-6-0 record who trains at American Kickboxing Academy, says Strickland would represent Chimaev's hardest test to date. Jorge Masvidal goes further, claiming Strickland has broken free from heavyweights in the gym. Sharaf Davlatmurodov adds that he personally could not keep Strickland pinned and that the champion is especially skilled at breaking wrist and collar grips before a fight reaches the floor.
The piece leans on two data points from Strickland's recent history. Against Dricus Du Plessis — the number-two-ranked middleweight at 23-3-0 who averages 2.22 takedowns per fifteen minutes — Strickland escaped six attempts. An older fight against Kamaru Usman, from roughly nine years ago, tells a different story: Usman controlled Strickland for approximately four and a half minutes, suggesting the fence remains a vulnerability.
Why it matters
- Chimaev's wrestling is the primary threat to Strickland's title reign; how long Strickland survives on the mat may decide the fight
- Du Plessis, himself an active grappler, could not sustain control, raising questions about whether any middleweight can
- The author frames the real contest as an energy war: can Strickland make Chimaev's takedown attempts cost more than they deliver
Saturday, May 9, 2026
