A media scorecard poll revealed that 13 out of 24 journalists scored the bout in favor of Khamzat Chimaev, despite Sean Strickland winning via split decision. This indicates significant disagreement among media members about the fight's outcome. The close scoring reflects how competitive the bout was and suggests that many observers believed Chimaev did enough to win. The split among journalists mirrors the judges' split decision, highlighting the difficulty in scoring the closely contested championship fight.
