Strickland defeats Chimaev via split decision to reclaim middleweight title

Sean Strickland defeated Khamzat Chimaev by split decision (47-48, 48-47, 48-47) to become the new UFC middleweight champion at UFC 328. The bout featured a puzzling moment in the second round when Chimaev suddenly fell to his back mid-round, though he continued fighting afterward without obvious signs of injury. Chimaev appeared to conserve energy in the third round and avoided grappling exchanges. His conditioning appeared inferior compared to his previous fight against Dricus Du Plessis, potentially due to his weight cut. Chimaev controlled 4 minutes and 44 seconds of the first round before his performance declined.