Strickland defeats Chimaev by split decision to claim UFC middleweight title

Sean Strickland defeated Hamzat Chimaev via split decision (47-48, 48-47, 48-47) to become the new UFC middleweight champion at UFC 328. The author notes a puzzling moment in round two when Chimaev suddenly fell to his back mid-round, though he didn't appear injured afterward. Chimaev controlled 4 minutes and 44 seconds in the first round but appeared to conserve energy in the third, avoiding grappling entirely. The writer suggests Chimaev was not as well-conditioned functionally as he was for his bout with Dricus du Plessis, potentially due to weight cut issues.