Strickland defeats Chimaev by split decision to win middleweight title at UFC 328

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 post notes a key mystery from the fight was what happened to Chimaev in the middle of the second round when he suddenly fell to his back, though he didn't appear injured afterward based on how he continued fighting. Chimaev apparently conserved energy in the third round and avoided grappling entirely. The analysis suggests Chimaev was not as well-prepared functionally for this bout compared to his fight with Dricus Du Plessis, possibly due to weight cutting issues. After controlling 4 minutes and 44 seconds in the first round, something went wrong for Chimaev in the second round.