Sean Strickland's victory over Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328 represented his second major upset after previously defeating Israel Adesanya. The fight was scored 3-2 by rounds in Strickland's favor, though one judge controversially scored the fifth round for Chimaev. Chimaev showed familiar patterns from his fight with Kamaru Usman: a dominant first round followed by cardio issues and inability to maintain wrestling dominance in later rounds. Despite expectations of domination, Chimaev had no ultimate answers to Strickland's basic skillset. Following the loss, Chimaev appears ready to move up to light heavyweight, with a potential matchup against Paulo Costa mentioned. For Strickland, a logical next defense would be a rematch with Nassourdine Imavov, given that Strickland now has six wins over current top-15 middleweights.
Saturday, May 9, 2026
