Sean Strickland defeats Khamzat Chimaev to become new UFC middleweight champion

Sean Strickland defeated Khamzat Chimaev via split decision (47-48, 48-47, 48-47) to become the new UFC middleweight champion at UFC 328. The fight's turning point was a mysterious moment in the second round when Chimaev suddenly fell to his back mid-round, though he showed no signs of injury afterward. Chimaev controlled the fight for 4 minutes and 44 seconds in the first round, but appeared to conserve energy in the third round by avoiding grappling exchanges entirely. The analysis suggests Chimaev was not as well-prepared functionally compared to his bout with Dricus Du Plessis, potentially due to weight cut issues.