A detailed analysis of UFC 328's main event argues Sean Strickland deserved a clear 3-2 victory despite split decision scorecards, with one judge controversially giving round five to Chimaev. The piece notes this is Strickland's second major upset in recent years after defeating Israel Adesanya. Chimaev showed nothing fundamentally wrong in his performance but couldn't overcome his cardio issues, similar to his fight against Kamaru Usman. The analysis suggests Chimaev will almost certainly move to light heavyweight with Paulo Costa as a logical first matchup. For Strickland, a rematch with Nassourdine Imavov is proposed as the most logical next title defense, with the post noting Strickland now has six wins over current top-15 middleweights.
Saturday, May 9, 2026
