If Khamzat Chimaev defeats Sean Strickland at UFC 328, his 10-fight UFC win streak would include victories over four UFC champions. Chimaev began his UFC career with three wins in 66 days, including two victories in just 10 days, both absolute records in modern UFC history. The streak would feature champions Robert Whittaker, Li Jingliang, Kevin Holland, and Kamaru Usman, with three beaten at their peak. His victory over Holland is considered underrated, featuring a two-minute grappling storm with a first-second takedown and relentless chain wrestling leading to a finish. The analysis emphasizes not just who Chimaev has beaten, but how dominantly he has done so, comparing the quality of his wins favorably to other fighters with similar streak lengths.
Khamzat Chimaev stands on the verge of cementing one of the most decorated winning streaks in UFC history, as a victory over Sean Strickland at UFC 328 on May 9 would give him ten consecutive UFC wins featuring four former or current champions among the defeated.
Chimaev, known as "Borz," enters the fight at 15-1-0 and ranked first in the middleweight division, sitting tenth on the pound-for-pound list. The 32-year-old fighting out of the UAE and Allstars Training Center has been one of the most statistically dominant fighters in the promotion, landing takedowns at a remarkable rate of 5.29 per fifteen minutes while connecting on 60 percent of his significant strikes — an accuracy figure that ranks among the elite at any weight class.
The champion across the cage, Sean Strickland, carries a 31-7-0 record and holds the middleweight title at 35 years old. The American out of Xtreme Couture is one of the highest-volume strikers in the division, landing 6.04 significant strikes per minute, and his six-foot-one frame comes with a 76-inch reach.
The analysis surrounding Chimaev's streak highlights not just the names on the list — Robert Whittaker, Li Jingliang, Kevin Holland, and Kamaru Usman, three of whom were beaten at the peak of their powers — but the manner of the victories. The finish of Kevin Holland, the six-foot-three "Trailblazer" who carries an 81-inch reach and now stands 29-15-0, is singled out as particularly underappreciated, featuring a first-second takedown and relentless chain wrestling that overwhelmed Holland within two minutes.
Chimaev's early UFC run also set records that still stand, with three wins completed in 66 days and two of those coming within a ten-day window.
Why it matters
- A win would give Chimaev the middleweight title and a ten-fight UFC streak spanning four champions
- Three of those champions — Whittaker, Usman, and Holland — were beaten when each was considered a serious contender or titleholder
- The matchup pits the division's most prolific grappler against one of its highest-volume strikers, creating a clear stylistic contrast
Saturday, May 9, 2026
