Photos surfaced showing Hamzat Chimaev's facial damage following his UFC 328 title fight loss to Sean Strickland. The images reveal the physical toll of the five-round battle. Chimaev's broken nose was visible from the fight. Multiple MMA channels shared the post-fight images. The visual evidence highlights the intensity of the middleweight championship bout.
Photos from the aftermath of UFC 328 emerged this week showing the extent of facial damage sustained by Hamzat Chimaev following his middleweight title fight loss to Sean Strickland at the event held on May 9, 2026. The images, widely circulated across multiple MMA media channels, revealed a broken nose and visible bruising that underscored the punishment Chimaev absorbed over five hard rounds.
Strickland, now 31-7-0, retained the middleweight championship with the victory, improving his standing as one of the division's most durable and active strikers. The 35-year-old American, who trains out of Xtreme Couture and fights out of an orthodox stance, stands six-foot-one with a 76-inch reach. His style is built on volume and output, averaging 6.04 significant strikes landed per minute with a 42 percent striking accuracy. Those numbers reflect a fighter who pressures opponents relentlessly, and the post-fight images of Chimaev suggest that approach was on full display throughout the championship rounds.
Why it matters
- The photographs provide rare visual confirmation of how physically demanding the five-round bout was for Chimaev
- Strickland's output-heavy striking style, among the highest in the division, proved damaging over championship distance
- The result and its aftermath reinforce Strickland's position atop the middleweight rankings as a punishing title holder
Saturday, May 9, 2026
