Sean Strickland defeated Khamzat Chimaev by split decision (47-48, 48-47, 48-47) to become the new UFC middleweight champion. The analyst notes a mysterious moment in the second round when Chimaev suddenly fell to his back mid-fight, though he didn't appear injured afterward. Chimaev controlled the fight for 4 minutes and 44 seconds in the first round. In the third round, Chimaev appeared to conserve energy and didn't pursue wrestling at all. The analyst suggests Chimaev wasn't as well-prepared functionally for this fight as he was for his bout with Du Plessis, possibly due to weight cut issues. The sudden turn in round two remains unexplained.
