Sean Strickland defeated Khamzat Chimaev by split decision (47-48, 48-47, 48-47) to become the new UFC middleweight champion at UFC 328. The analyst noted the biggest mystery was what happened to Chimaev in the middle of round two when he suddenly fell to his back, though he appeared to fight normally afterward without visible injury. Chimaev appeared to conserve energy in round three and didn't engage in wrestling at all. The post suggests Chimaev was not as well-conditioned functionally for this fight as he was for his bout against Dricus du Plessis, potentially due to the weight cut. Chimaev had controlled 4 minutes and 44 seconds in the first round before something went wrong in round two. The analyst questioned what specifically caused the sudden change in Chimaev's performance mid-fight.
Saturday, May 9, 2026
