According to media scorecards from the Chimaev versus Strickland bout, 13 out of 24 journalists scored the fight in favor of Khamzat Chimaev. This indicates a closely contested match with significant disagreement among media members about the outcome. The split decision among media scorers suggests the fight was competitive enough that observers had differing interpretations of who won the rounds. The official result appears to have been controversial given the near-even split in media scoring.
Thirteen of 24 media members scored the middleweight title fight in favor of Khamzat Chimaev against Sean Strickland, revealing a deeply divided press row and fueling debate over the official result.
Strickland, known as "Tarzan," entered the bout as middleweight champion carrying a 31-7-0 record. The 35-year-old American, who trains out of Xtreme Couture, stands six-foot-one with a 76-inch reach and has built his reputation on relentless output, averaging 6.04 significant strikes landed per minute at 42 percent accuracy. His pressure-heavy, volume-striking style makes him one of the division's most active offensive fighters.
Chimaev, nicknamed "Borz," came in ranked first in the middleweight division and tenth pound-for-pound with a 15-1-0 record. The 32-year-old representing the United Arab Emirates and training at Allstars Training Center is six-foot-two with a 75-inch reach. His game is built around elite grappling — he averages 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes — paired with high striking accuracy of 60 percent, making him a multi-dimensional threat on the feet and on the mat.
Why it matters
- With 13 of 24 media scorers favoring Chimaev, the result sits at the edge of legitimacy regardless of which fighter the judges awarded the victory
- The championship rounds would have carried decisive weight given how closely observers split on the earlier portions of the fight
- Chimaev's grappling volume against Strickland's striking output created a classic style clash that lent itself to legitimate round-by-round disagreement
- The near-even media split keeps the middleweight division's picture unsettled and a rematch conversation almost inevitable
