Strickland defeats Chimaev by split decision to win UFC 328 title

Sean Strickland captured the UFC middleweight championship by defeating Khamzat Chimaev via split decision at UFC 328, with scores of 47-48, 48-47, 48-47. The observer noted confusion about what happened to Chimaev in the middle of the second round when he suddenly fell to his back. Despite this moment, Chimaev appeared to fight without injury afterward, though he seemed to conserve energy in the third round and avoided wrestling entirely. The analysis suggests Chimaev was not as well-conditioned functionally as he was for his fight against Dricus Du Plessis, possibly due to the weight cut. Chimaev controlled the fight for 4:44 in the first round before the puzzling events of round two changed the fight's trajectory.