Media scorecards were split following the Strickland versus Chimaev bout at UFC 328, with 13 out of 24 journalists giving the fight to Chimaev despite the official split decision going to Strickland. The narrow media divide reflects how competitive the fight was perceived to be. This discrepancy highlights differing interpretations of close rounds, particularly in grappling exchanges and striking volume. The result has generated debate within the MMA community over whether the judges got it right. No further details on specific round-by-round scoring breakdowns were provided in the post.
Sean Strickland walked away from UFC 328 with his middleweight title still intact, but the scorecards told a murkier story. A media tally of 24 journalists covering the event found that 13 of them scored the fight for Khamzat Chimaev, while 11 sided with the official split decision that went to Strickland. The narrow divide underscores just how contested the bout was, with grappling exchanges and striking volume at the center of the disagreement.
Strickland, 35, entered the fight as the reigning middleweight champion out of Xtreme Couture, carrying a record of 31-7-0. The American stands six-foot-one with a 76-inch reach and fights out of an orthodox stance. His output is one of the most prolific in the division, averaging 6.04 significant strikes landed per minute, and his ability to sustain pressure across five rounds has long been his calling card.
Chimaev, fighting out of Allstars Training Center in the UAE, came in ranked first in the middleweight division and tenth pound-for-pound with a record of 15-1-0. The 32-year-old stands six-foot-two and brings a strikingly different skill set to the table. He lands strikes at a 60 percent accuracy rate and averages 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes, a figure that dwarfs most of the division. His submission threat is ever-present as well, averaging 1.8 attempts per 15 minutes.
Why it matters
- The media split suggests round-by-round scoring was genuinely difficult, particularly in grappling-heavy exchanges
- A 13-11 media lean toward Chimaev keeps pressure on the official result and may fuel calls for an immediate rematch
- Chimaev's elite takedown volume against Strickland's high-output striking made for a stylistic clash where judges can reasonably differ
- The result leaves the middleweight title picture unsettled, with the number-one contender having a credible argument for a different outcome
