Strickland reveals he fought UFC 328 with shoulder injury from sparring

Sean Strickland has revealed he walked into his UFC 328 middleweight title fight against Hamzat Chimaev carrying a shoulder injury sustained just days before the bout, yet still managed to leave the cage as champion.

Strickland, 35, disclosed that the damage occurred on Tuesday during a sparring session, with the injury later diagnosed as a first-degree acromioclavicular ligament tear. Despite the setback, the American chose to proceed with the fight and claimed the middleweight title via split decision. The Xtreme Couture product now stands at 31-7-0 and holds the 185-pound championship, bringing a six-foot-one frame and a 76-inch reach to go along with one of the busiest outputs in the division, landing 6.04 significant strikes per minute at 42 percent accuracy.

The sparring partner on the other end of that fateful session was undefeated grappling standout Johnny Eblen. The 34-year-old American carries a perfect 16-0-0 record and posted a remarkable 63.4 percent striking accuracy in his most recent stretch of bouts, landing 12.3 significant strikes per minute. He stands six-foot-one with a 74-inch reach.

Why it matters

• Strickland secured the middleweight title while compromised, raising questions about how the injury may have affected his performance against Chimaev.
• A first-degree AC ligament tear is generally the mildest grade of that injury, but competing with any ligament damage in a championship fight carries meaningful risk.
• Eblen, still undefeated, inadvertently played a role in shaping the outcome of a title fight, underscoring the physical toll of high-level pre-fight preparation.