Sean Strickland defeats Khamzat Chimaev by split decision to become UFC middleweight champion

Sean Strickland captured the UFC middleweight championship by defeating Khamzat Chimaev via split decision with scores of 47-48, 48-47, and 48-47. The fight featured a puzzling moment in the second round when Chimaev suddenly fell to his back mid-round, though he appeared to recover and showed no signs of injury afterward. Chimaev controlled for 4 minutes and 44 seconds in the first round, but appeared to conserve energy in the third round by avoiding grappling exchanges entirely. The analysis suggests Chimaev may not have been as well-conditioned functionally as he was for his bout against DDP, potentially due to the weight cut.