Strickland defeats Chimaev by split decision to claim middleweight title

Sean Strickland won the UFC middleweight championship by defeating Khamzat Chimaev via split decision with scores of 47-48, 48-47, and 48-47. The observer noted a puzzling moment in the second round when Chimaev suddenly fell to his back mid-round, though he continued fighting without apparent injury afterward. Chimaev appeared to conserve energy in the third round and avoided wrestling entirely. The analysis suggests Chimaev was not as well-conditioned as he was for his previous fight with Dricus Du Plessis, potentially due to the weight cut. Chimaev had 4 minutes and 44 seconds of control time in the first round before the mysterious second-round incident.