According to media scorecards, 13 out of 24 journalists scored the fight in favor of Khamzat Chimaev in his bout against Sean Strickland. This represents a closely divided opinion among the media members scoring the contest. The split decision reflects the competitive nature of the fight, with 11 journalists favoring Strickland. The close media scoring suggests the fight could have gone either way on the official scorecards.
Unofficial media scorecards from the Sean Strickland versus Khamzat Chimaev middleweight bout returned a near-even split, with 13 of 24 journalists siding with Chimaev and 11 scoring the contest for Strickland, underscoring just how difficult the fight was to judge on a round-by-round basis.
Strickland, 35, entered the contest as the reigning middleweight champion carrying a 31-7 record. The American southpaw out of Xtreme Couture stands six-foot-one with a 76-inch reach and has built his reputation on relentless output, landing 6.04 significant strikes per minute at 42 percent accuracy. His wrestling, while not a primary weapon, averages 0.71 takedowns per 15 minutes.
Chimaev, the number-one ranked middleweight and number-10 pound-for-pound fighter at 32 years old, brought a 15-1 record and a sharply different profile into the cage. The UAE-based Swede stands six-foot-two and throws with 60 percent striking accuracy, the highest of the two men, while averaging a dominant 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes and 1.8 submission attempts in the same span — statistics that reflect the relentless grappling pressure he applies throughout his fights.
Why it matters
- The 13-11 media split signals the fight was genuinely competitive and the official judges could have scored it in either direction
- A result this contested in a title fight carries significant rankings implications at 185 pounds, where Chimaev was already the top-ranked contender
- Strickland's high-volume striking versus Chimaev's elite wrestling and grappling presented a classic styles puzzle that clearly divided experienced observers
