Sean Strickland Dethrones Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328
Strickland defeated Khamzat Chimaev via Split Decision (48-47, 47-48, 48-47) in the Main Event of UFC 328. This victory marked the first loss for Chimaev who entered the bout undefeated (15-0), and gave Strickland back a title he lost two years ago.
Strickland VS Chimaev - How the Fight Went
Khamzat Chimaev began the fight as most people thought he would. He shot, took the back, and controlled the mat throughout all of Round 1. However, the damage never came. The pace slowed significantly after the opening round. Strickland remained calm and collected during the fight and scored a low 10-9 round.
Round 2 was where things turned around for Strickland. Strickland stopped Chimaev from getting the first takedown of Round 2 and had continued success while fighting in the stand-up position. During the few instances they were both on the ground, Strickland scored well. Round 3 followed suit. Strickland pushed Chimaev backwards while using the jab and chopping at the body while Chimaev began to slow.
Chimaev finally got some momentum going in Round 4 when he applied pressure and connected with several clean shots to the face and body of Strickland. In addition to being able to connect with those clean shots, Chimaev also earned himself a late takedown that sealed the round.
Round 5 started off like Round 4 ended with Chimaev scoring an early double leg and then pursuing Chimaev to take his back. Strickland was able to scramble, get back up, and outstrike Chimaev in the last couple of minutes. Although the scorecards are split among all three judges, Strickland received enough points to earn the win.
What The Defeat Means For Chimaev
Going into Saturday night's battle in Newark, NJ., Chimaev was one of the top-ranked fighters in MMA. He now leaves with a record of 15-1 and has broken through with the aura surrounding him. In addition to losing the title, Chimaev became gassed in the championship rounds and was unable to complete many of his takedowns towards the end of the fight. He also didn't deliver the type of damage that defined his rise to becoming a champion.
Although this loss doesn't stop his run, Chimaev is 32 years old, still very good at what he does, and still has victories over Robert Whittaker and Dricus du Plessis which have put him right into the mix. Next time he steps inside the octagon, he will no longer be considered "untouchable" and it appears that an immediate rematch is likely.
What's next for Strickland
Strickland is back. He reclaimed the title he won from Israel Adesanya in 2023 and lost to Dricus du Plessis four months later. Whatever the UFC books next, the middleweight division belongs to Sean Strickland again. Check the full UFC 328 results.
