Sean Strickland's victory over Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328 marked his second major upset in recent years after defeating Israel Adesanya. The fight followed a pattern similar to Chimaev's bout with Kamaru Usman - dominant first-round grappling followed by cardio issues and extended standup exchanges. Strickland showed nothing new tactically but Chimaev had no definitive answers to his approach. The decision was scored 3-2 for Strickland with judge Sue Sanidad controversially giving the fifth round to Chimaev despite not having judged a UFC event since 2014. Chimaev is now expected to move up to light heavyweight with a potential matchup against Paulo Costa, while Strickland may face Nassourdine Imavov next. The pre-fight hostility made their friendly exchanges during the bout seem inconsistent with the buildup.
Sean Strickland added another chapter to his growing reputation as one of the sport's great spoilers, defeating Khamzat Chimaev by split decision at UFC 328 on May 9 to retain the middleweight championship.
The victory followed a trajectory that observers have now seen from Strickland before. The 35-year-old American, who trains out of Xtreme Couture, brought no tactical surprises to the bout. His orthodox stance, relentless forward pressure, and output-heavy striking — he lands 6.04 significant strikes per minute — simply proved too much to manage over five rounds. The pattern echoed his previous title win over Israel Adesanya: survive early danger, absorb punishment, and grind the opponent down in the championship rounds. Strickland, standing six-foot-one with a 76-inch reach, improves to 31-7-0 and remains atop the middleweight division.
The fight itself mirrored Chimaev's contested 2023 bout with Kamaru Usman, according to the analysis. Chimaev controlled the grappling exchanges in the opening round before fading as the fight extended into later rounds, where standup exchanges became unavoidable. Chimaev, by the account of the summary, had no clear answer for Strickland's approach once the bout moved away from the clinch and canvas.
The decision was scored 3-2 for Strickland, though controversy followed the scorecards. Judge Sue Sanidad awarded the fifth round to Chimaev, a card that drew scrutiny given she had not scored a UFC event since 2014.
Why it matters
- Strickland now has back-to-back major upsets, defeating both Adesanya (24-6-0) and Chimaev, cementing his standing as a legitimately difficult middleweight champion to dethrone
- Chimaev is reported to be weighing a move to light heavyweight, with a potential bout against Paulo Costa (16-4-0) emerging as a possible next step
- The judging controversy surrounding Sanidad's fifth-round scorecard is likely to fuel renewed scrutiny of UFC officiating standards
- Strickland may next face ranked middleweight contender Nassourdine Imavov, though nothing has been officially confirmed
Saturday, May 9, 2026
