Strickland defeats Chimaev by split decision to win middleweight title

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 fight's pivotal moment came in the second round when Chimaev unexpectedly fell to his back mid-round, with the cause remaining unclear. Chimaev had controlled 4 minutes and 44 seconds of the first round before the mysterious second-round incident. In the third round, Chimaev appeared to conserve energy and avoided grappling exchanges entirely. The analysis suggests Chimaev was not as well-prepared functionally for this fight as he was for his bout with Dricus Du Plessis, potentially due to weight-cutting difficulties. Despite the second-round setback, Chimaev continued fighting without obvious signs of injury.