MMA media split on Chimaev-Strickland decision at UFC 328

Sean Strickland walked out of UFC 328 on May 9 as the middleweight champion, but a notable portion of the media cageside believed Khamzat Chimaev had done enough to take the belt. Thirteen of 24 credentialed journalists scored the main event for Chimaev, while the remaining eleven sided with Strickland — a near-even split that underlines just how closely contested the bout was.

Strickland, 35, retained his middleweight title and improved his professional record to 31-7-0. The American fighter out of Xtreme Couture carries a six-foot-one frame with a 76-inch reach and fights out of an orthodox stance. He is among the sport's most active strikers, landing 6.04 significant strikes per minute, though his accuracy sits at 42 percent, suggesting a high-volume approach that wears opponents down over rounds.

Chimaev, 32, entered the fight ranked first in the middleweight division and tenth in the pound-for-pound standings, carrying a 15-1-0 record. The UAE-based Swede out of Allstars Training Center stands six-foot-two with a 75-inch reach and brings an elite grappling threat to every fight, averaging 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes alongside 1.8 submission attempts in the same window. His striking accuracy of 60 percent is exceptional, even if his volume of 4.04 significant strikes per minute is lower than Strickland's.

Why it matters

• The near-even media scorecard split signals that the official judges' decision could face scrutiny from fans and analysts alike.
• Chimaev's number-one ranking and top-ten pound-for-pound status mean a contested loss does little to diminish his standing as the division's primary threat.
• The stylistic contrast — Strickland's volume striking against Chimaev's high-accuracy striking and dominant wrestling — created genuine scoring ambiguity across the rounds.
• The result keeps the middleweight title picture unsettled, with the closeness of the contest likely to fuel immediate rematch conversations.