13 of 24 journalists scored Chimaev-Strickland for Chimaev

Thirteen of 24 media members who submitted scorecards for the UFC 328 middleweight title fight gave the victory to Khamzat Chimaev, despite the official judges' decision going in favor of champion Sean Strickland on the night of May 9, 2026.

Strickland, 35, retained his middleweight title with a record that now stands at 31-7-0. The American fighter out of Xtreme Couture carries a six-foot-one frame and 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 threat is measured but present, averaging 0.71 takedowns per 15 minutes.

Chimaev, 32, representing the United Arab Emirates and training out of Allstars Training Center, came in as the division's top-ranked contender and the number-ten pound-for-pound fighter on the roster. Standing six-foot-two with a record of 15-1-0, he is one of the sport's most well-rounded threats, landing 60 percent of his significant strikes and averaging an exceptional 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes alongside 1.8 submission attempts per 15 minutes.

Why it matters

• The near-even media split — 13 for Chimaev, 11 for Strickland — underlines just how close the championship rounds were and how difficult a fight it was to score.
• Strickland retains the middleweight title, but the contested nature of the decision will almost certainly fuel calls for an immediate rematch.
• The stylistic contrast between Chimaev's elite grappling volume and Strickland's high-output striking made round-by-round assessment genuinely difficult, and that ambiguity is now reflected in the divided media scorecards.