Sean Strickland has once again become the UFC middleweight champion by beating Khamzat Chimaev.
It was a shocking upset. Strickland became the first man to defeat Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328. He de-throned a feared fighter with a split decision inside the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Strickland entered the fight with astronomically low odds of a 4-to-1 underdog.
In the match, Strickland used a savvy attack and impressive defensive wrestling and outlanded the opposition fighter. It was enough for Khamzat Chimaev’s second career upset.
After five rounds of back-and-forth action, two judges scored the fight 48-47 in favor of Strickland, and the third one was 48-47 for Chimaev. This victory made him a champion again after nearly three years.
Here is what Strickland said post-fight about the ugly buildup to this fight. “I want to apologize to my American fans, to my Muslim fans, and to my Christian fans. I went too f***ing hard, I admit it.”
“I respect all, you guys. Chechnya has great fighters; they’re savages. He’s a f***ing savage. I should be a better f***ing example, but I try to sell these fights for you f***ers. I appreciate you.”
Heading into the first round, all three judges’ scores were tied at two rounds apiece. In the final round, Strickland used a last burst of punches and made a lasting impression. He edged Chimaev 33-21 in significant strikes. Chimaev also went to his most powerful takedown attempts. He landed six out of seven takedown attempts over the round.
However, he was unable to keep Strickland down for a long time. In the end, he fell short after the end of the final round.
Strickland said, “That motherf***er would not go back. I’m hitting him with everything, and he just keeps coming forward. Crazy. … He may have broken my nose.”
Once the official decision of the fight came, Chimaev stormed out of the cage. With this loss, Chimaev’s dominant run of 10 fights came to an end.
